Fast track investigation of Haematuria (blood in the urine)
Reasons- Blood in urine is considered to be sinister until proven otherwise.
Blood in urine can be due to urinary infection, interstitial cystitis, kidney stones, trauma, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, cancer of urinary tract elsewhere, medical kidney diseases, excessive strenuous activities, bleeding disorders, blood thinning medications, menstrual cycle.
Examination
Physical examination- General and specific examination of the urinary tract by a trained specialist is important to rule out many sinister reasons for blood in urine.
Investigations
Blood tests: Kidney function tests that includes Urea, electrolytes and creatinine, eGFR, Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in men, bleeding and clotting tests etc:-
Urine tests: Mid-stream urine for microscopy, culture and sensitivity
Urine cytology: special urine tests to identify shedding cancer cells.
Flexible Cystoscopy: This is a camera test done under local anaesthetic (gel instilled into the urethra) in the outpatient setting.
CT Urography (CTU) -This is a special X-ray test in a dough nut shaped scanner after dye injection to see the whole of urinary tract or an alternatively an Ultrasound scan in some occasion.
