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Saturday, December 10, 2016
Urinary and Genital Disorders (Children)
My grandson has been diagnosed with a little pocket on the side of his bladder. He has had several bladder infections recently which prompted the ultrasound. Do you know how this is normally resolved? Do they do surgery? He is going to see a urologist soon.
Pockets coming off the bladder are called bladder diverticulae. If there is stasis (slow flow)of urine in large diverticulae then infections may be possible. It however is relatively rare for these pockets on their own to be the cause of infections. Occasionally there may be associated backflow of urine towards the kidneys associated with diverticulae. This condition is called reflux. Diverticulae are most often associated with some form of bladder dysfunction and improving bladder function is all that is required for the majority of children. Children with recurrent urinary tract infections often require a special x-ray test in which the radiologists need to catheterize the child, fill the bladder with fluid and take x-rays as the child is voiding. This test is called a voiding cystogram and may answer many important questions such as whether there is reflux or if the diverticulae empty or not.
Rama Jayanthi, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Urology
College of Medicine
The Ohio State University