What does bladder wall thickening on ultrasound indicate?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Trinh Thi Phuong Nga - Radiologist - Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine - Vinmec Times City International General Hospital. The doctor has nearly 20 years of experience in diagnostic imaging.
Bladder wall thickening can be seen with focal wall thickening or total wall thickening. Thickening of the bladder wall can be caused by an infection or a tumor, which can cause discomfort, painful urination, hematuria, hematuria, and even endanger the patient's life.

1. What is a bladder? What is bladder wall thickening?

The bladder is an organ of the urinary system, where urine is secreted by the kidneys and excreted through the urethra. Therefore, they play a role in storing urine for the body. This organ is located in the middle of the pelvis, when the bladder is filled with urine, the bladder wall muscles will relax until when urinating, the muscles will tighten to push the urine out.
The bladder is an empty organ. The average adult volume for men is 350-750 ml and in women is 250-550 ml. The normal bladder wall is about 3mm thick when the bladder is distended. The bladder wall is made up of 4 layers: the mucosal layer, the submucosa, the muscular layer, and the serosa.

2. When is the bladder wall thickened?

Bladder wall thickening occurs when the mucosal layers, submucosa, mucosal muscles, and serosa grow larger than average in size. If you experience frequent urination during the day and night, you should see a doctor, as this may be a sign of thickening of the bladder wall.
Lateral thickening of the bladder wall is an abnormal health manifestation due to a disease in the urinary system. It can be a bladder infection if not treated early. More dangerous can lead to infection upstream to the ureters and renal pelvis. Because the bladder is located in the body, it is not possible to self-check, but must go to a medical facility for examination and treatment for this disease.

3. Recognizing signs of bladder wall thickening

Frequent need to urinate - urgency to urinate, always feeling the need to urinate Burning, burning sensation when urinating Cloudy urine or blood in the urine, strong odor Back pain or mild fever symptoms For young children, bedwetting at any time during the day is also a sign of bladder-related problems.

4. Causes of bladder wall thickening

Abnormal growth of cells in the bladder wall may also be related to smoking or exposure to chemicals. Irritation of the bladder or exposure to radiation can also be to blame. In addition, the patient does not exclude having the following diseases:
Cystitis This is the most common disease that can be seen in both adults and children. Caused by often holding urine for a long time, having unprotected sex or taking strong antibiotics.... In addition, the disease is caused by E. coli bacteria in the bladder, or it can be caused by complications of diabetes. diseases such as diabetes, kidney stones or prostate enlargement, nerve damage, marrow damage... In many cases, this condition is recurrent for a long time.
Bladder obstruction This condition usually occurs in the neck of the bladder, should be adjacent to the urethra. In men, prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate gland can cause bladder obstruction.
Bladder stones Cloudy, dark urine, can see scum, membrane on the surface, pain in the lower abdomen, continuous hypogastric region, it may be due to stones in the bladder. Caused by long holding urine, drinking water without filtering residue, some parts are impaired....

5. Methods to diagnose bladder wall thickening

Currently, there are many methods to diagnose whether a patient has a thickened bladder wall. In which, there are a number of methods used by doctors because of its simplicity, speed and high efficiency:
Bladder ultrasound This is the most common imaging method used when having problems. urinary disorders in general and bladder wall thickening in particular. Ultrasound can detect birth defects, detect tumors, assess bladder wall invasion, and urinary retention. Through that, the doctor will determine the problem you are having.
In addition, ultrasound can also detect a number of other diseases such as inflammation, prostate enlargement, stones, blood clots in the bladder lumen, urethra.... Bladder ultrasound is a method of carrying highly effective, with mild patients often only need to carry out this measure.
Cystoscopy Imaging method through the use of specialized endoscopes. The doctor can look directly into the endoscope or through a computer screen. If your doctor finds an abnormality in your bladder, treatment can be performed during the procedure.
Urinalysis This helps the doctor determine the percentage of bacteria, blood, pus mixed in the urine, thereby assessing the degree of infection. From there, a reasonable treatment plan can be devised. If the test results show white blood cells, microscopic red blood cells, and white blood cells with polymorphism, the disease has progressed to a severe stage.

Of the three methods above, bladder ultrasound will be the first indication that the doctor asks the patient to perform because of its safety, quick results, and the most general. If the patient has other abnormal signs, the doctor will order other tests to most accurately determine the patient's condition.
Depending on the severity, the doctor will have but different treatments, in which bladder wall thickening can also be treated with drugs. If you see abnormal signs, you need to go to the nearest medical facility center to be examined, to avoid prolonged exposure will make the condition worse.
Periodic health check-ups help to detect diseases early, so that there are treatment plans for optimal results. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has general health checkup packages suitable for each age, gender and individual needs of customers with a reasonable price policy. The results of the patient's examination will be returned to the patient's home. After receiving the results of the general health examination, if you detect diseases that require intensive examination and treatment, you can use services from other specialties at the Hospital with quality treatment and services. outstanding customer service.

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