Portable Bladder Scanners for Home Use
Posted , 14 users are following.
A couple of months ago I purchased a portable bladder scanner to measure my bladder volumes and learn more about how my voiding function works. Used, refurbished units, similar to what many urologists use, can be purchased online at a fraction of their retail cost. I ended up paying a little over $1,000 for a unit that originally sold for 10K. But 2K is a more reasonable price if you don’t want to spend a lot of time hunting around and matching parts, which I ended up doing.
There are basically three types of units you can find. The more common 3D automated units – mostly manufactured by Verathon are “point and shoot” and give you a number for your residual volume in a digital read out. Everything is done by the software as there is no ultrasound picture generated.
The 2D real-time scanners, as their name suggest, give you a real-time ultrasound picture of your bladder similar to the big hospital units which are used for bladder/kidney studies.
And the newer real-time 3D units, likewise give you a real-time ultrasound picture, but unlike the 2-D units they scan both sagittal and transverse planes in one pass, as opposed to two.
For most people, an older refurbished automated 3D Verathon unit would suffice. I’ve seen them refurbished for around $1,800. I opted for the 2D real-time unit because I have an irregularly shaped bladder and diverticulum and wanted a bladder scanner that could target and differentiate the bladder from the diverticulum. The real-time scanners also allow you to observe and study the actual voiding process, which was important for me. If money was no object, I would have purchased one of the newer 3D real time units but I haven’t seen any used ones on the market, and the least expensive new unit is 6K with some over 10K.
I’ll end by saying that most people probablydon’t need a home bladder scanner as the same information can be gotten from a doctor’s visit or a hospital bladder/kidney study.
On the other hand, if so motivated, the advantage is that you can check volumes whenever you want. For those self cathing, who are not on a regular schedule, they can save unnecessary catherizations and facilitate a bespoke approach. They can also be helpful as “reality/safety checks” if you’re doing a bladder rehab approach such as my “off/on” strategy. Link here: https://patient.info/forums/discuss/self-catherization-an-on-on-off-strategy--591671
For those with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) they can be used as part of a retraining program to better time your voids so that you won’t void with either too much or too little in your bladder. Jim
2 likes, 81 replies
Yani1964 jimjames
Posted
Hi Jim,
I was searching for a bladder scanner to see if I am emptying my bladder. I started Flomax 4 days ago. The urologists told me that my bladder wasn't emptying when I saw her last week. I am trying to avoid infections as I have a mechanical heart valve.
jimjames Yani1964
Posted
Not trying to talk you out of it, but wouldn't it just be easier -- not to mention a lot less expensive --- to get your PVR (post void residual) measured by a bladder scanner in your urologist's office?
A home bladder scanner does have the advantage of being able to measure total bladder volumes and PVRs whenever and wherever you want, however unless you really need this flexibility, you could be paying for something unnecessary.
I see a home bladder scanner as something useful if you want to fine tune a self cathing program or for re-training an overactive bladder, but I don't see you falling into either category. Then again, if you're kind of a health gadget freak, and/or the money isn't an issue, these scanners can be both interesting and instructive. So let me know if I can be of further help.
Jim
Yani1964 jimjames
Posted
My uro says I'm only emptying 1/4 of my bladder. Also, they won't be able to check my bladder often. I've read your post about cic. I've read a lot of negative things about Flomax. It doesn't shrink the Prostate just relaxes it as you already know. I'm on warfarin and have a mechanical heart valve. It is really important that I know if the Flomax is helping enough so I don't get acute bladder retention. Also, I need to make sure my bladder is emptying so I don't do anything unnecessary. A uti to me is a big risk, because of endocarditis. I'm not rich. I just love my family and life.Thank you.
richp21 Yani1964
Posted
Hi Yani,
FYI, I used Flomax for several years, and had difficult side effects (severe nasal congestion). One of the problems is that it comes in capsule form, so you can't cut in in half to reduce the dosage. I recently switched to daily Cialis. So far it seems to be as effective, and since it is tablet form I can cut in half to adjust the dosage to match my body's needs.
Rich
jimjames Yani1964
Posted
Hi Yani,
As mentioned, 5mg Daily Cialis is an alternative to Flomax. No retrograde ejaculation with Cialis, some enhancement of erections but you might also experience other side effects. Everyone reacts differently to these drugs so have to experiment.
As to the scanners, as mentioned earlier in the thread, there are two types, each with its advantages and disadvantages. In either case, if you buy one, it's important to make sure it has a return policy so that you can test its accuracy against either catherized volumes at home (via CIC) or against the machine at your doctor's office. Less of an issue with a new scanner but those prices are significantly higher.
A 2D real time bladder scanner very similar to the one I have just came on ebay the other day. It's around $1,000. I will private message you the link later. There is also a place in Florida that sells refurbished Verathon BVI 3000's for around $2,000. That is a 3D scanner that gives you a digital readout but no bladder picture. Especially important with these units to test them against a catherized volume and/or another scanner since you are relying on the readout. A third option is to get a new 3D scan unit with a real time image. These run $6,000 and up. Check your PMs in a bit.
Jim
richp21 jimjames
Posted
I'm actually testing out 2.5 mg Daily Cialis. Might not be quite enough, but I will give it some more time. Seems to wear off at about 16 to 20 hours or so,
Turns out my copay for 2.5 mg and 5 mg for 30 pills was identical, so I got the 5 mg and am using a pill splitter to cut them in half. One could also get the the 2.5 mg and split those for a super small dose.
.
jimjames richp21
Posted
There was a study that used 2.5 and 5mg. Benefits were shown with the 2.5 but more with the 5. That said, always good to experiment and if a lower dose gives enough benefit that's great. Less meds in the system and more money in the pocket! I stopped the 5mg because the marginal benefits did not outweigh the side effects. I might just try 2.5 one day and see how it works.
Jim
richp21 jimjames
Posted
Hi Jim,
What side effects did you have with the 5 mg? For a couple of weeks, I seemed to be doing really well with the 2.5 mg, but out of the blue I had a weird intense spell in the middle of last night: major post nasal drip and congestion and peeing volumes, over a 2 hour stretch (considerably more than I usually pee in an entire night). I'm stumped. I don't think it was allergies, and I'm guessing it wasn't the eclipse
bob31550 jimjames
Edited
rdemyan bob31550
Posted
Will these vendors sell a portable bladder scanner to private individuals? I thought they would only sell to medical establishments.
jimjames bob31550
Edited
Hi Bob, You can find a reasonable priced used bladder scanner for under $2,000 USD, even under $1,000 if you're patient. You can find these scanners on ebay and they are sold by various medical supply and sometimes individual vendors. My suggestion, unless you really know what your're doing is to make sure you get a 30-day return in case it doesn't work properly. You can also purchase some newer 3D scanners in the 4K-12K range often directly from the manufacturer with a doctors note. If you have a regularly shaped bladder and only want to measure PVR then a used 3D Verathon BVI 3000 would be the one to look for. Alternatively, you can get one of the 2D Portascan Plus units that show a real ultrasound image. I went the latter route because my bladder has an irregular shape and I wanted to see exactly what was going on inside There are some very nice new 3D units with ultrasound image but those are in the 6K and up category with a few entries from China less but not sure how accurate they are. Again, a 30-day return is a good idea and if you are self cathing you can compare the accuracy very easily against your catherized volumes
Jim
bob31550 rdemyan
Posted
The company I spoke to was local, and the scanner is Android or IOS compatible.
jimjames bob31550
Posted
As I mentioned earlier, it depends on the manufacturer. In the U.S. some manufacturer's will only sell to doctors and medical establishments and some will sell directly to the end user with a doctor's note. Overseas manufacturers have their own polices and in some cases may sell direct without a note. In the used market, ebay for example, sellers will usually sell direct regardless of what their disclaimer might say.
Jim
rick05252 jimjames
Edited
Hi Jim,
I see the PORTASCAN 3D PORTABLE 3D BLADDER SCANNER for $2500 new. Would this be a real-time 3D unit? It seems to have a picture,
Thanks
Rick
jimjames rick05252
Edited
I didn't see those words on the listing and hard to tell if the picture was a scan or computer generated image. I would say probably not real-time 3D but you could call Laborie and double check. I have their older 2-D scanner bought used on ebay and it is real time. This isn't to say the one listed isn't accurate and in fact many uro's use similar, but if you want to see an actual scan you want a real time scanner. In my case I have a large
diverticulum so without a real time scanner I could never be sure whether the scanner was picking up the bladder, diverticulum or both.
Jim