ABNORMALITIES OF THE BLADDER IN CHILDREN - IMAGING FINDINGS

Radiologic evaluation of the genitourinary tract in infants and childr en frequently focuses on the kidneys. The bladder may be imaged in a c ursory or perfunctory manner or not at all. Unfortunately, this practi ce contributes to errors in diagnosis of renal abnormalities both pren atally and throughout childhood. For example, a ''renal cyst'' diagnos ed prenatally really might be the obstructed upper pole of a duplex ki dney; scanning the bladder is necessary to detect the dilated distal u reter or ureterocele below [1]. Similarly, the bladder might have a co ngenital anomaly when the kidneys are normal. The appearance of many c ommon and a few uncommon bladder anomalies in children are described i n this article. Some normal variants and acquired problems, such as tu mors and neurogenic bladder, are discussed and illustrated because the se can cause problems in diagnosis. Changes in the appearance of the b ladder produced by surgery to correct vesicoureteral reflux are also p resented.