Ultrasound is a very sensitive and non-invasive method for assessing the structures of the female pelvis. The short
distance between the transducer and the anatomic structures of interest allows the use of high frequency transducers
in small children. A filled bladder is a prerequisite for any careful examination because it provides an acoustic
window by cutting out interference by the air containing intestine. In small children, however, this condition is
often difficult to achieve in the first place and can not always be maintained over an extensive examination period.
Contrast sonography, in which either manufactured solutions or plain saline solutions are used as contrast material,
to demonstrate uterine anomalies and patency of the fallopian tubes is getting more and more popular in adults.
This technique that uses saline solutions to distend and therefore delineate anatomical structures in addition to
generateing an acoustic windows has not yet been esablished for the examination of the internal genital organs and
other pelivic structures in newborns and children. The aim of this study is to test whether instillations of sterile
saline into the bladder, vagina and rectum could improve the performance of ultrasound in patients suffering from
urogenital and cloacal malformations.