How do you treat an urachal cyst?
Urachal cysts can be treated with a variety of methods. If the patient is experiencing pain, they may require surgery to remove the mass and relieve pressure on their bladder. This will also help prevent infections from developing in the area. If there are no symptoms present, doctors might recommend waiting for up to six months before considering treatment options or follow-up imaging studies such as MRI or CT scans.
Do urachal cysts need to be removed?
Urachal cysts are benign and do not need to be removed. They usually cause no symptoms, but in some cases can become infected or inflamed. Urinary tract infections (UTI) may lead to an abscess forming around the urachal cyst which would require surgical removal of the entire organ system involved. A CT scan is used for diagnosis and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used for more detailed examination of any abnormalities found on the CT scan.
How common are urachal cysts?
Urachal cysts are uncommon in the general population, with an incidence of less than 1%. Urinary tract infections are a common cause for urachal cysts. The urinary bladder is located within the abdomen and when infected can lead to inflammation that causes fluid buildup around it. This occurs because bacteria from the infection can enter into the urethra which then enters into the bladder where they multiply and create pus, causing pain or discomfort. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used to diagnose these types of conditions as well as CT scans which use x-rays to detect abnormalities in tissues like tumors or abscesses.
What causes an urachal cyst?
Urachal cysts are most often caused by a blockage in the urethra. This can happen if there is an infection, or the body’s immune system has a reaction to something that was ingested. Urinary tract infections and appendicitis are two common causes of urachal cyst development.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans may be used to diagnose these types of tumors because they show up as white spots on images taken with magnetic fields and radio waves. CT scans may also be helpful in diagnosing this type of tumor, but MRI is preferred for its higher resolution images which allow doctors to see more detail than what would otherwise be possible with CT scanning alone.
Treatment for Urinary tract infection- will it also help the disease in the urinary bladder (or vice versa)?
If the patient has an infection in their urinary bladder, they should also take antibiotics for this as well. Magnetic resonance imaging is used to diagnose Urachal cysts and CT scans are used to diagnosis infections in the urinary bladder or abscesses.
Do other organs like appendix or ovaries get affected by this too?
No, Urachal cysts only affect the urinary bladder and its associated structures.