Micturating Cystogram - X-ray of the Bladder

The test is not painful. Your child may feel discomfort when we put in a thin plastic tube into the bladder. The tube is called a catheter, and it will be inserted gently.

No hospital stay is needed for the procedure. However, if your child is hospitalised on the appointment day, please tell the ward staff to inform the Department of Diagnostic Imaging.

As your child may be anxious about the test. we strongly encourage you to talk through the procedure with your child to help him/her understand what will be happening. This will help him I her lie still and cooperate during the test to ensure a smooth procedure.

Your child does not have to fast for the procedure. He/she may continue to eat and drink, and take all prescribed medications as usual.

Please come 30 minutes earlier to register and give your dlild time to relax and prepare for the test. He/she will be asked to pass urine before the X-ray.

You may wish to bring along a toy or book for your child and milk feed (if required). An MCU usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes to complete. However, the whole visit may take up to a few hours when a child is unable to cooperate or when we have an emergency that requires the medical team to attend to first.

While your child rests on an X-ray couch, the radiologist will gently insert a thin plastic tube, called a catheter, through the urethra into the bladder. The urethra is the channel through which the urine passes out of the body. The bladder will be filled with a special solution (called contrast). The contrast enables the bladder to be seen with X-rays.

While the bladder is being filled, a camera above the child will take X-ray pictures of it. If the child is an infant. he/she will usually pass urine as soon as the bladder is full enough to produce discomfort.

An older child will be asked to pass urine after the bladder is filled. Pictures will be taken as the bladder empties and the contrast passes out. After this, the radiologist will gently remove the catheter.

When the MCU report is ready, the doctor in the clinic or ward will review it together with the results of other tests your dlild may have done. They will discuss the MCU results and other findings with you during your child's medical review.

After the test, your child should drink plenty of water to flush the contrast out of his I her body. If he I she feel pain, you may let him/her sit in a bath of warm water to pass urine.

Additional fees may be levied for extra contrast liquid used, or for additional views done.