Hematuria

Blood in the urine is referred to medically as hematuria. Hematuria can be quite distressing, especially when patients see it home or out in the community. Microscopic hematuria is blood in the urine that you cannot see but that your doctor can see in the office.

There are a variety of possibilities for why a patient may have hematuria or blood in the urine. These possibilities can come from the kidney, the ureters or the tubes that come down from the kidney, the bladder, the urethra or in men the prostate and the reproductive tract.

A standard evaluation for patients with hematuria includes an x-ray of the kidneys and a look inside the bladder. There are a number of x-rays that can be done of the kidneys including a CT scan, an IVP or a renal ultrasound. In addition, the look inside the bladder, which is referred to as cystoscopy, can be done either in our office or at the surgery center under a brief anesthetic.

When I see you in the office, depending on the type of blood in your urine that you have had and your symptoms, I will recommend an x-ray study of your kidneys and an option to look inside your bladder either in the office or at the surgery center.