Is it accurate to have an ultrasound scan without holding urine?
The accuracy of color Doppler ultrasound may be affected if not done with a full bladder, but it depends on the type of ultrasound. Some types of color Doppler ultrasound do not require a full bladder and will not affect the results. Generally, if you need to examine the prostate, bladder, or the uterus and appendages of women, you need to have a full bladder beforehand. If not, the organs of these parts cannot be clearly imaged, and the results of the examination will definitely be inaccurate. When performing different types of color Doppler ultrasound, the matters needing attention are also different, and patients need to understand more about them.
Color Doppler ultrasound requiring a full bladder includes abdominal examinations of the prostate, bladder, uterus, and appendages. If the bladder is not full for these examinations, the organs may not be displayed clearly, leading to missed diagnoses, so the results will be inaccurate. If the bladder is not full enough, doctors will generally ask the patient to continue to hold their urine until a clear image can be obtained. In this case, patients should not be impatient or afraid of wasting time, and should follow the doctor's instructions to continue drinking water and holding their urine in order to obtain the most accurate diagnostic conclusion.
Matters needing attention for color Doppler ultrasound vary depending on the examination content. For example, when performing abdominal organ examinations of the liver, gallbladder, biliary system, and pancreas, the patient needs to be fasting for more than eight hours. When using abdominal probes to examine the male prostate and female uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries, a full bladder is required. Of course, bladder examinations also require a full bladder. Additionally, transvaginal ultrasounds should be performed after menstruation and without sexual intercourse the day before the examination. Before rectal ultrasounds, the patient needs to empty their bowels before the examination can be performed.
