Who should get cystoscopy?

[Jeff]

Is there any guidelines in the world of Urology about who should get cystoscopy?

Everybody who has chronic urologic symptoms?

Even tho i would like to get one to rule out bladder disease,i'm still not sure the purpose of it.I think i read somewhere that even normal people get abnormal cystoscopy results.

[traceann]

Well, just my thoughts, but I would think it would be recommended for those that can't be diagnosed by using the non-invasive testings by them being inconclusive (urinalysis etc) and are still showing signs and symptoms of something going on, they'd then want to take a look at the inside of the bladder. Just my thoughts, I am sure others will chime in with their information and ideas as well! ;)

[ICNDonna]

Try thinking of it this way: If you have a sore throat, your doctor is going to want to have you open your mouth so he/she can see your throat --- it helps with diagnosis. It just seems reasonable that if you have a sore bladder, your urologist may feel a need to view it as a part of making a diagnosis.

Donna

[OrlandoP]

Is there any guidelines in the world of Urology about who should get cystoscopy?

Everybody who has chronic urologic symptoms?

Even tho i would like to get one to rule out bladder disease,i'm still not sure the purpose of it.I think i read somewhere that even normal people get abnormal cystoscopy results.

Hi Jeff,

It's important to clarify the distinction between cystoscopy and hydrodistention, which is think is what you are driving at in the last paragraph.

Donna's right: cystocopies help your doctor rule out bad things like cancer. Any good urologist would perform a cystoscopy for chronic urological symptoms.

Where is gets trickier is with hydrodistention. Hydros by SOME doctors are not considered to be a definitive diagnostic tool for IC/PBS, as many "normal" bladders show cracking and bleeding when blown up.

On the other hand, some people have hydros done, and it shows an excruciatingly bleeding, and ulcerated bladder. At the end of the day, this is really a personal choice with your doctor. My doctors chose to treat on the basis of symptoms. The same drugs are available to me as are available to those with "positive" hydros. My goal is to get symptom relief, and not worry about an ever-shrinking bladder (IF that is what is happening, in my case, I don't think it is), over which I likely have little control given my excellent diet, health, and upkeep. Some doctors have argued that Elmiron is a relatively ineffective drug,and that the hydrodistentions have been used in pushing it as a first line drug. You'll note a lot of people are helped by Elmiron here, however.

The other thing is, some people get relief from hydrodistention. I felt, in my personal instance, that this was a nerve related problem. Part of this was due to the fact that my doctors agreed, and that I am not diet sensitive, and instillations did nothing for me.

I'm a broken record on this issue, but feel it's important to get out there what "the other camp" of doctors is saying so as not to confuse newbies. There are varying opinions.