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What Are The Reasons For Performing Rectal Examination And Bladder Scan?
Question: Dear Doctor, If a hospital patient is not very communicative but appears to be in pain then I take it that performing a rectal examination to rule out constipation and a bladder scan to rule out urinary retention are two ways of trying to establish the cause of the suspected pain. However, could there be any other reasons for performing both examinations? Examples?
Brief Answer:
Other reasons are to check for infections, growths.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Greetings from Dr Divakara P
Thanks for posting your query.
There is no need to perform per rectal examination just to check whether patient is constipated or not . Hospitalised patients sometimes will not pass stools due to less food intake , non ambulatory status and dehydration.
Also constipation will not cause severe pain.
Starting the patient on Laxatives shall correct the constipation.
Yes urinary retention can cause pain and has to be catherised if patient is not passing urine. This shall relieve the pain
I think your doctors wants to know some additional information by doing per rectal examination like to evaluate size of prostrate or any growth in the rectum or any infections or abscess.
The same for the ultrasound scan to details additional details on kidneys , prostrate, liver . pancreas , spleen and urinary bladder.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarification feel free to ask.
Regards.
Other reasons are to check for infections, growths.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Greetings from Dr Divakara P
Thanks for posting your query.
There is no need to perform per rectal examination just to check whether patient is constipated or not . Hospitalised patients sometimes will not pass stools due to less food intake , non ambulatory status and dehydration.
Also constipation will not cause severe pain.
Starting the patient on Laxatives shall correct the constipation.
Yes urinary retention can cause pain and has to be catherised if patient is not passing urine. This shall relieve the pain
I think your doctors wants to know some additional information by doing per rectal examination like to evaluate size of prostrate or any growth in the rectum or any infections or abscess.
The same for the ultrasound scan to details additional details on kidneys , prostrate, liver . pancreas , spleen and urinary bladder.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarification feel free to ask.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you kindly, Dr Divakara, for the helpful information. May I ask two further questions relating to this matter? (1) If a rectal examination did reveal either an enlarged prostrate, growth in the rectum, infection or abscess could ANY one of these conditions be a source of pain? (2) Also, could you explain in elementary terms (I'm obviously not a doctor) what would constitute evidence of an infection when undertaking a rectal examination? That is, what visible evidence would the doctor be looking for?
Brief Answer:
Infection or abscess can cause pain.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Growth or prostrate enlargement will not cause pain but infection or abscess do cause pain.
On doing a per rectal examination feeling of a soft bulge associated with discharge of pus from rectum or if the finger doing the per rectal examination is smeared with pus indicate Abscess or infection.
What I meant to say in my first reply was , the per rectal and the scan is being done not just to evaluate for the cause of pain but to obtain more information.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarification feel free to ask.
Regards.
Infection or abscess can cause pain.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Growth or prostrate enlargement will not cause pain but infection or abscess do cause pain.
On doing a per rectal examination feeling of a soft bulge associated with discharge of pus from rectum or if the finger doing the per rectal examination is smeared with pus indicate Abscess or infection.
What I meant to say in my first reply was , the per rectal and the scan is being done not just to evaluate for the cause of pain but to obtain more information.
Hope this information was useful to you.
Any clarification feel free to ask.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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