Evaluation of a non-invasive method to determine bladder volume in children

Abstract

Although urethral catheterization is the "gold standard" for accurate bladder urine volume measurement in all patients, the discomfort associated with its use makes it less than ideal in pediatric urologic practice. Portable ultrasound scanners have been demonstrated to be an acceptable alternative in adults in several studies, but little data exists on their use in children. A portable ultrasound scanner that automatically calculates the bladder urine volume was used for 40 separate determinations and correlated with bladder urine volume measured by urethral catheterization (coefficient of correlation = 0.759). The scanner is reasonably accurate, well-tolerated and a useful alternative to urethral catheterization for measuring bladder urine volume.