Determination of the Volume of Residual Urine in the Bladder without Catheterization

Abstract

IT is frequently necessary, in the study of patients with disorders of the urinary tract, to determine the volume of residual urine in the bladder. This volume is customarily determined by catheterization of the bladder and occasionally by radiologic means. Catheterization is a potentially traumatic, generally unpleasant procedure and may be responsible for the introduction of pathogenic bacteria into the urinary tract.1 2 3 4 5 Residual urine can be determined after intravenous pyelography if radiopaque dye is still present in the bladder after the patient has voided.6 , 7 However, the radiologic method is expensive and nonquantitative and requires exposure to ionizing radiation.A simple . . .