A catheter is placed through the urethra into the bladder. A special liquid is dripped into the bladder, which allows pictures to be taken. If your child has the X-ray version, pictures will be taken of the bladder and urethra. Both tests can diagnose a condition called reflux, where urine flows backward into the kidneys. This test can show if the kidneys are swollen or have some other changes that indicate infection is present.
Some children are very prone to getting urinary tract infections.
After just one urinary tract infection, the bladder's tissues become swollen, raw and irritated. This causes the bladder to be more likely to become infected again. It can take many months for the bladder to totally heal after just one infection. After having had several infections, it can take a year for the bladder to heal and for the bladder's normal defense mechanisms to return. After a urinary tract infection has been treated, a preventive antibiotic may be started.