USG KUB
A focused scan for Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder.
Overview
Examines Kidneys, Ureters, Bladder. Performed at an NABL-accredited Meridian Health centre with a same-day report and a free doctor review.
The full panel
3 areas across 1 groupEvery parameter, grouped by body system — no clicking to expand.
What this scan measures
The kidneys, the visible parts of the ureters, and the bladder — kidney size and cortical thickness, any dilatation of the collecting system, cysts and masses, stones large enough to cast a shadow, bladder wall thickness, and the residual urine left after you pass water.
It is the first-line kidney test because it involves no radiation and no contrast, so it can be used safely in pregnancy, in children and in people with impaired kidney function. It answers the important structural questions: are the kidneys of normal size, is either obstructed, is the bladder emptying.
Symptoms that lead to this scan
- Flank or loin pain
- Blood in the urine
- Recurrent urinary tract infections
- Difficulty passing urine, or a poor stream
- Abnormal kidney function blood tests
Understanding your results
Simple renal cysts are extremely common, increase with age and are almost always harmless. Hydronephrosis describes a dilated collecting system and suggests obstruction somewhere downstream, though a very full bladder can cause mild apparent dilatation that disappears after voiding. Small kidneys with a thin cortex and increased brightness suggest long-standing chronic damage. Ultrasound misses many ureteric stones because the ureter is largely hidden behind bowel gas, so a normal scan does not exclude one — a CT KUB does that.
Why the preparation matters
Come with a comfortably full bladder: you will usually be asked to drink 750 ml to 1 litre of water about an hour before and not to pass urine. A full bladder is needed both to assess the bladder wall itself and to provide the acoustic window for the lower ureters, and the scan is then repeated after voiding to measure the residual volume — which is one of the most useful numbers in the whole study for anyone with prostate or bladder-emptying symptoms.
Ultrasound — safety and who should not be scanned
Full Ultrasound guideUltrasound uses sound waves, not radiation, and there is no known harmful effect at diagnostic settings — it is the only cross-sectional modality used freely in pregnancy and repeatedly in children. Operators still follow the ALARA principle, using the lowest output for the shortest time needed, particularly in obstetric scanning. There is nothing to recover from and no restriction afterwards. The main limitation is not safety but operator dependence: the quality of an ultrasound depends heavily on the person holding the probe.
- No absolute contraindications
- There is no medical reason ultrasound cannot be performed on anyone, at any age, including in pregnancy. The limitations below are about image quality and consent rather than harm.
- Open wounds, burns or dressings over the area
- The probe needs direct contact with skin through gel, so a recent surgical wound, a burn, an ulcer or a plaster cast over the region may make the scan impossible or require it to be deferred until the dressing can be removed.
- Bowel gas and body habitus
- Sound does not travel through gas, so gas-filled bowel can obscure the pancreas, aorta and pelvic organs, and depth reduces resolution in larger patients. Fasting and a full bladder are used to improve the window; where the view remains inadequate, a CT or MRI is recommended instead.
- Transvaginal or transrectal scanning requires consent
- Internal probes give far better resolution of the pelvis, but they are always optional. They are not used without explicit consent, and a transabdominal approach is offered instead — including where an internal scan would be inappropriate.
- Not a substitute for mammography in screening
- Ultrasound complements mammography rather than replacing it: it cannot reliably show the microcalcifications that mammography detects. For symptomatic assessment in younger women it is the correct first test; for population screening it is not.
- Fetal sex determination is illegal in India
- Under the PCPNDT Act, no person or centre may disclose the sex of a fetus at any stage, and no request for it will be entertained. This applies to every obstetric scan and does not affect any other part of the examination or its report.
Who should consider this scan
- Anyone with flank pain, blood in the urine or urinary symptoms
- People with abnormal creatinine or eGFR
- Men with prostate symptoms and poor bladder emptying
- Anyone with recurrent urinary infections
- Pregnant women needing urinary tract assessment
Conditions it helps detect
How it works
Patient stories
96% recommend“The phlebotomist arrived exactly on time and was gentle. My report came in five hours with a doctor’s note.”
“Booked at night, sample collected next morning. The parameter breakdown is genuinely thorough.”
“Loved the free doctor review — she walked me through my vitamin D and thyroid results clearly.”