Effectiveness of the portable ultrasound bladder scanner in the measurement of residual urine volume after total mesorectal extirpation.

The measurement of residual urine volume by bladder catheterization causes quite some suffering to the patient and sometimes causes urinary tract infections. To evaluate the postoperative measurement of residual urine volume with a portable ultrasound bladder scanner (Bladder Scan BVI 3000) and the cost-benefit analysis as compared with postoperative catheterization we carried out a study on 30 patients with primary rectal cancer. The data were then compared with actual urine volumes. This was a prospective study dealing with the economical benefit of ultrasound scanning over catheterization during the hospital stay. The ultrasound bladder scanner was found to be a reliable method of estimating residual urine volume since its data correlated with actual volumes with a coefficient of 0.9. The results satisfied both physicians and patients. Ultrasound scanning of the bladder to measure residual urine volume reduced the frequency of catheterization by 38% as compared with the patients on intermittent catheterization, with 17.4 catheters saved for each patient. In conclusion, the ultrasound bladder scanner could protect patients from the discomfort and urethral injury which might have been caused by bladder catheters, thus decreasing medical expenses. This technique will play an important role in determining whether to conduct invasive urethral catheterization for postoperative urinary disturbance in rectal cancer.