What are the benefits vs. risks?

Benefits

• Voiding cystourethrograms provide valuable, detailed information to assist physicians in preventing kidney damage in patients with urinary tract infections.
• The examination results allow physicians to determine whether therapy is necessary. Some conditions require no therapy, while others may require medications. Some may even need surgery.
• No radiation remains in a patient's body after an x-ray examination.
• X-rays usually have no side effects in the typical diagnostic range for this exam.

Risks

• There is always a slight chance of cancer from excessive exposure to radiation. However, the benefit of an accurate diagnosis far outweighs the risk.
• The effective radiation dose for this procedure varies. See the Safety page for more information about radiation dose.
• Some children experience discomfort during urination immediately after the procedure. This discomfort usually resolves in less than 12 hours.

A Word About Minimizing Radiation Exposure

Special care is taken during x-ray examinations to use the lowest radiation dose possible while producing the best images for evaluation. National and international radiology protection organizations continually review and update the technique standards used by radiology professionals.

Modern x-ray systems have very controlled x-ray beams and dose control methods to minimize stray (scatter) radiation. This ensures that those parts of a patient's body not being imaged receive minimal radiation exposure.

What are the limitations of a Voiding Cystourethrogram?

A voiding cystourethrogram cannot evaluate obstruction of flow of urine from the kidneys. Additional examinations are needed if obstruction is suspected.

A voiding cystourethrogram should not be performed while an active, untreated urinary tract infection is present.