最后更新: 8 月 28, 2026

Patients ask this constantly: why does the doctor want a scan of my bladder 之后 I have emptied it? The answer is that emptying and passing urine are not the same thing. A bladder can produce a respectable stream and still leave a substantial volume behind, and that stagnant urine is what causes infections, stones and, at the extreme, pressure on the kidneys.

How it is measured

It used to mean passing a catheter after you had finished, which was accurate and unpleasant. Ultrasound has replaced it: the bladder is scanned, you go to the toilet, and it is scanned again. The result is the volume left behind, in millilitres, without anything being inserted.

Two things affect the accuracy, and both are worth knowing because they are the reason a surprising result should not be acted on immediately.

Practically: come with a comfortably full bladder and do not empty it in the waiting room, or the test cannot be done and you will be sent away to drink and come back.

Bladder ultrasound performed after voiding to measure residual urine volume
Scan, void, scan again — and the second scan has to follow promptly.

A single reading should not decide anything

This was absent from the earlier version and is the most important addition to the page.

Residual volume varies enormously in the same person from one void to the next. How much you had drunk, how long you had held on, how relaxed you were, whether the clinic toilet felt private — all of it moves the number. A man can measure 250 mL on one visit and 40 mL on the next with nothing having changed.

So a single high reading is a reason to repeat the measurement, not a reason to start treatment. And a result is only meaningful if a reasonable volume was actually passed: emptying 60 mL and leaving 60 mL behind tells you nothing about the bladder, because the bladder was never properly full to begin with — the same principle that governs flow testing.

What the numbers mean

The earlier version presented a separate normal range of 50 to 100 mL for older people. That has been softened: residual volumes do tend to rise with age, but this is a tendency rather than an established age-specific normal, and a raised residual in an older man is not automatically to be accepted as age. These figures are guides for interpretation, not diagnostic cut-offs. Persistently over about 100 mL is associated with more urinary infections, which is a practical reason to take repeated moderate elevations seriously.

What the number cannot tell you

Also absent from the earlier version, and the reason the measurement is a starting point rather than an answer.

A high residual volume does not say why the bladder is not emptying, and there are two quite different explanations that look identical on the scan:

The distinction decides the treatment, and getting it wrong matters: an operation on the prostate of a man whose real problem is a weak bladder does not fix his emptying. Where it is unclear, pressure-flow studies settle it. Medication is also worth reviewing before anything else — anticholinergics, older antihistamines, decongestants and opioids all impair emptying, as set out under causes of retention.

Urethral catheter, the older invasive method of measuring residual urine now replaced by ultrasound
The catheter method was accurate and unpleasant; ultrasound gives the same figure without it.

Symptoms that need attention the same day

在泰国遇到紧急情况,请拨打 1669.

Frequently Asked Questions About Residual Urine

What is residual urine and why is it measured?

It is the volume left in the bladder after you have finished passing urine. It is measured because a good stream does not prove good emptying, and urine left behind causes infections, stones and, at the extreme, pressure on the kidneys.

My result was high. Does that mean I need treatment?

Not on one reading. Residual volume varies substantially between voids depending on fluid intake, how long you held on and how relaxed you were, so a high result is a reason to repeat the measurement rather than to start treatment. The result also only means something if a reasonable volume was passed.

What counts as normal?

Under about 50 mL is good emptying and over about 200 mL is poor. Most results fall in between and are interpreted alongside symptoms, flow rate, kidney function and any history of infection. Persistently over about 100 mL is associated with more urinary infections. These figures guide interpretation rather than serving as diagnostic cut-offs.

Does a high residual mean my prostate needs an operation?

Not necessarily. A blocked outlet and a weak bladder muscle produce identical results on the scan, and operating on the prostate of a man whose bladder is the real problem does not improve his emptying. Pressure-flow studies distinguish them, and medication that impairs emptying should be reviewed first.

How should I prepare?

Arrive with a comfortably full bladder and do not empty it in the waiting room. The second scan must follow within about ten minutes of voiding, since the kidneys keep producing urine and a delayed scan overstates the result.

安排咨询

Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone sees patients at 曼谷医院总部 并在春武里府的三美泰是拉查医院 088-022-1445. Bring any previous residual measurements and flow tests with their dates, and a full list of your medicines — several common drugs impair bladder emptying and are worth excluding before anything else is considered.

曼谷医院远程医疗服务适用于无法亲自就诊的患者,包括国际患者——请通过电子邮件提前向泌尿科预约: bhquro@bdms.co.th. 三美泰是拉差医院(Samitivej Sriracha)仅提供线下就诊服务。有关费用事宜,请直接向医院咨询,本网站不予解答。.

免责声明 本文由曼谷医院总院的认证泌尿科医师Soarawee Weerasopone博士撰写和审核,仅供教育目的使用。它并非医疗建议、诊断或针对任何个人的处方,且不会通过私人消息渠道或社交媒体提供任何建议、诊断或处方。Soarawee博士没有运营任何公开的社交媒体账号;任何以他的名义提供私人咨询的账号均为诈骗。如果在泰国遇到紧急情况,请拨打 1669.

医学撰写与审核:Soarawee Weerasopone 医生(Pom 医生)——曼谷医院总院认证泌尿科医师,自 2016 年起从事泌尿外科临床工作。进修:台湾长庚纪念医院机器人手术学(2019 年) · 临床观察员:东京顺天堂大学附属医院泌尿内视镜学(2022 年) · 研究学者与临床观察员:美国贝勒医学院斯科特泌尿外科系(2025–2026 年)。.

zh_CN简体中文

了解 Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone — Urologist Bangkok 的更多信息

立即订阅以继续阅读并访问完整档案。

继续阅读