Urinary Tract, Opens dialog

Overview

The retrograde pyelogram uses a dye to find out whether a kidney stone or something else is blocking your urinary tract (Figure 1). During the test, your doctor will insert a thin, lighted tube (cystoscope) into the urethra, which carries urine out of the body from the bladder. He or she will then put a catheter through the cystoscope and into a ureter, which carries urine from the kidney to the bladder. Dye is injected through the catheter, and X-rays are taken.

You will probably need a local or regional anesthetic with this procedure.

Your doctor may do this test if an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) does not help with the diagnosis. In an IVP, the dye is injected through a vein in your arm.

Figure 1 - Urinary Tract

The kidneys and bladder work together to make urine and remove it from your body. The kidneys filter waste products and water from the blood to form urine. The urine moves from the kidneys through tubes called ureters to the bladder, which stores the urine until it is full. From the bladder, urine leaves the body through another thin tube, the urethra. After the bladder starts to empty, it normally empties all of the urine.

Current as of: April 30, 2024

Author: Ignite Healthwise, LLC Staff
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