Why a VCUG?
A VCUG is typically done when a young patient is diagnosed with more multiple urinary tract infections, or if the patient has had an ultrasound of the kidneys, showing them enlarged, which could be an indicator of excess fluid in the kidneys. The VCUG is performed to find out if the fluid retention or UTI is due to vesicoureteral reflux, or a “backing up” of urinary waste from the bladder to the kidneys. It is very important to rule this out, since this type of reflux, if not monitored and controlled, could potentially cause serious damage to the kidneys. How it’s done 1. Catheterization The procedure is done under semi-sterile conditions, since the urinary tract is sterile and therefore susceptible to infection. This means that the Radiologist (or sometimes the RT, depending on the facility) puts on sterile gloves and only touches instruments that come straight from fresh packaging, and the area around the urethra is cleaned thoroughly with an antiseptic cleanser such as povidone-iodi
