Skip to main content

Cystoscopy



 

What cystoscopy is

Cystoscopy is a test to look at the inside of your bladder using a thin, flexible tube called a cystoscope. A cystoscope has optic fibres inside it and a light and eyepiece attached to it. Through the eyepiece, your doctor can see down the optic fibres and into the inside of your bladder. You can have a cystoscopy under local or general anaesthetic, depending on what the doctor needs to do.

Cystoscopy for a man

Diagram showing a cystoscopy for a man

Cystoscopy for a woman

Diagram showing a cystoscopy for a woman

Why you may have a cystoscopy

This is the most important test for diagnosing cancer of the bladder. You may also have a cystoscopy if you are having investigations for other types of cancer, to see if there is any spread to the bladder. You may have a cystoscopy to investigate



Cystoscopy under local anaesthetic

You usually have this during an outpatient appointment. You will need to undress your lower half and may have a gown to put on. You will have to lie on your back on the bed or couch. The doctor will squeeze some anaesthetic jelly into the tube where your urine comes out (your urethra). In men, this means squeezing the jelly down the penis. But don't worry - it doesn't hurt.
After waiting a few moments for the local anaesthetic to work, the doctor puts the cystoscope into your bladder. Your doctor will move the tube around so that they can examine the whole of the inside of your bladder.
The whole test only takes a few minutes and there are usually no after effects apart from some discomfort passing urine for the first time. If anything looks abnormal, your doctor will arrange for you to go into hospital for a cystoscopy under general anaesthetic so that they can take biopsies. The doctor or nurse will give you antibiotics to take to prevent infection. It is important to take these as prescribed.


Cystoscopy under general anaesthetic

For this test, you have to go into hospital. You will probably not have to go in until the day of the test. You will be asked not to eat or drink anything for at least 6 hours before you go in.
You may have a blood test and a chest X-ray first. This is routine for anyone having an anaesthetic. Then you will put on a hospital gown and lie down on the theatre trolley. The trolley is wheeled down to the operating theatre, where you have the anaesthetic.
While you are under anaesthetic, your specialist will thoroughly examine the inside of your bladder and urethra. They will take samples of tissue (biopsies) from any areas that look abnormal. Your doctor may also take random biopsies from areas of bladder lining that look normal. This helps to make sure of the diagnosis. The biopsied areas are sealed with a hot probe afterwards (cauterised) to help stop any bleeding.
You can usually go home the same day if the procedure has been minor. This will depend on
  • How many biopsies were taken
  • How you react to the anaesthetic
  • The time of day you have the anaesthetic - if it is very late in the day, it may be better for you to stay overnight
If there are large tumours which need treatment, you will need to stay longer and you may need a catheter (a tube into the bladder) for a few days after the operation.


Your results

It can take time for test results to come through. How long will depend on why you are having the test. You may get the results within a couple of days. But if you have had biopsies taken, you won't get your results until these specimens have been fully examined and tested. This takes at least a week. The biopsy report will be sent to your specialist, who will then give the results to you. If your GP has sent you for the test, the results will be sent directly to their surgery.
Understandably, waiting for results can make you anxious. If your doctor needs the results urgently, it can be noted on the test request form, and the results will be ready sooner. Try to remember to ask your doctor how long you should expect to wait for the results when you are first asked to go for the test. If it is not an emergency, and you have not heard a couple of weeks after your test, ring your doctor's secretary to check if the results are back.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kate Jackson Breast Cancer a flash back

THE MOST MOMENTOUS CHANGE IN Kate Jackson's life began early one morning in January 1987, during her fourth season on the hit TV series Scarecrow and Mrs. King. After a phone call informed her that the show's taping was canceled because costar Bruce Boxleitner had the flu, Jackson went back to sleep. When she woke several hours later, "It was out of the blue, but perfectly clear," she recalls. "I sat up in bed and literally said, 'You have to have a mammogram.' " She did, and two days later a biopsy confirmed her vague fears: A minute growth found in her left breast was determined to be malignant. "I was forced to face, squared up, my own mortality," says Jackson. "I had to decide whether I wanted to live or to die. And if you choose life, as I did, it's never the same." For three TV seasons 16 years ago, she was famous as Sabrina Duncan, a girl-next-door gone glamorous and the character critics dubbed the brainiest o
Post a Comment
Read more

"Hard nipples" - areola or nipple skin

Someone once wrote"... when i get really cold, or get goosebumbs all over my body, the whole things really scrunch up, like, my entire areola scrunches itself up into a wrinkled little mound. it looks really weird and ugly, and i haven't ever seen other people's breasts do it. what is wrong with my areola/nipples??" The answer: Well nothing is wrong. This is what my areola does too. It's a normal reaction to the coldness or to irritation / stimulation. The little muscles in the areola do a similar goosebump thing as your other skin can do. People often call this phenomenon "hard nipples". Also note that skin on areola has less feeling or sensation to it than other areas of your body. If the areola was very sensitive, then breastfeeding would probably be quite uncomfortable because the baby pulls and tugs it! The nipples are sensitive but the sensitivity changes with hormonal changes, such as occur at mestrual cycle or pregnancy. Also this v
8 comments
Read more

The four stages of breast development

In Stage 1 shows the flat breasts of childhood. By Stage 2, breast buds are formed as milk ducts and fat tissue develop. In Stage 3, the breast become round and full, and the areola darkens. Stage 4 shows fully mature breasts. (Illustration by GGS Information Services.) period begins. Usually these signs are accompanied by the appearance of pubic hair and hair under the arms. Once ovulation and  menstruation  begin, the maturing of the breasts begins with the formation of secretory glands at the end of the milk ducts. The breasts and duct system continue to grow and mature with the development of many glands and lobules. The rate at which breasts grow varies significantly and is different for each young woman. Breast development occurs in five stages: Stage One: In preadolescence, the breasts are flat and only the tip of the nipple is raised. Stage Two: Buds appear, breast and nipple are raised, fat tissue begins to form and the areola (dark area of skin that surrounds
1 comment
Read more