How to diagnose Cystocele ?
Diagnosing a cystocele requires medical tests and a physical exam of the vagina. Medical tests take place in a health care providers office, an outpatient center, or a hospital. The health care provider will ask about symptoms and medical history. A health care provider uses a grading system to determine the severity of a womans cystocele. A cystocele receives one of three grades depending on how far a womans bladder has dropped into her vagina:
                
- grade 1mild, when the bladder drops only a short way into the vagina  - grade 2moderate, when the bladder drops far enough to reach the opening of the vagina  - grade 3most advanced, when the bladder bulges out through the opening of the vagina
                
If a woman has difficulty emptying her bladder, a health care provider may measure the amount of urine left in the womans bladder after she urinates. The remaining urine is called the postvoid residual. A health care provider can measure postvoid residual with a bladder ultrasound. A bladder ultrasound uses a device, called a transducer, that bounces safe, painless sound waves off the bladder to create an image and show the amount of remaining urine. A specially trained technician performs the procedure, and a radiologista doctor who specializes in medical imaginginterprets the images. A woman does not need anesthesia.
                
A health care provider can also use a cathetera thin, flexible tubeto measure a womans postvoid residual. The health care provider inserts the catheter through the womans urethra into her bladder to remove and measure the amount of remaining urine after the woman has urinated. A postvoid residual of 100 mL or more is a sign that the woman is not completely emptying her bladder. A woman receives local anesthesia.
                
A health care provider may use a voiding cystourethrograman x-ray exam of the bladderto diagnose a cystocele as well. A woman gets a voiding cystourethrogram while urinating. The x-ray images show the shape of the womans bladder and let the health care provider see any problems that might block normal urine flow. An x-ray technician performs a voiding cystourethrogram, and a radiologist interprets the images. A woman does not need anesthesia; however, some women may receive sedation. A health care provider may order additional tests to rule out problems in other parts of a womans urinary tract.