This procedure involves telescopic inspection of the bladder and urethra with bladder biopsy (if indicated); we can also remove a stent using the telescope.
General anaesthetic cystoscopy.
Please ensure that your bladder is comfortably full when you arrive because it is likely that we will need to obtain a urine specimen from you before the procedure.
You will usually be admitted on the same day as your procedure. When you arrive, you will be asked to pass urine before the examination. You will be asked to remove the garments on the lower half of your body and to put on a hospital gown.
Please be sure to inform your surgeon in advance of your surgery if you have any of the following:
At some stage during the admission process, you will be asked to sign the consent form giving permission for your operation to take place, showing you understand what is to be done and confirming that you wish to proceed. Make sure that you are given the opportunity to discuss any concerns and to ask any questions you may still have before signing the form.
In order to perform the procedure, it is necessary to insert the instrument, which is flexible, into the bladder via the water pipe (urethra). A local anaesthetic jelly is used to numb and lubricate the urethra which makes passage of the instrument into the bladder as comfortable as possible. Men often find passage of the instrument through the area of the prostate gland uncomfortable but this is momentary.
Once the instrument is in place, the examination will only take a few minutes to complete. Attached to the instrument are a telescopic lens, a light source and some sterile water to fill the bladder so that all the lining can be inspected.
In general terms, you should expect to be told how the procedure went and you should:
Once the surgeon or surgical care practitioner has completed the examination, he/she will remove the instrument and will explain the findings. You will also be advised of the need for any further treatment.
You will then be able to walk to the toilet to pass the fluid that has been used to fill your bladder. Finally, you will be taken back to your cubicle where you can wash and dress yourself.
Most procedures have a potential for side-effects. You should be reassured that, although all these complications are well-recognised, the majority of patients do not suffer any problems after a urological procedure.
Common (greater than 1 in 10)
Occasional (between 1 in 10 and 1 in 50)
Infection of the bladder requiring antibiotics
Rare (less than 1 in 50)
By the time of your discharge from hospital, you should:
When you get home, you should drink twice as much fluid as you would normally for the next 24-48 hours to flush your system through. You may find that, when you first pass urine, it stings or burns slightly and it may be lightly bloodstained. If you continue to drink plenty of fluid, this discomfort and bleeding will resolve rapidly.
If you develop a fever, severe pain on passing urine, inability to pass urine or worsening bleeding, you should contact your GP immediately.
If biopsy samples have been taken during flexible cystoscopy, you and your GP will be informed of the results.
If you have any continuing problems regarding the tests, you can telephone the Specialist Nurses or speak to your GP at his/her surgery.
Driving after surgery
It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fit to drive following your surgery. You do not normally need to notify the DVLA unless you have a medical condition that will last for longer than 3 months after your surgery and may affect your ability to drive. You should, however, check with your insurance company before returning to driving. Your doctors will be happy to provide you with advice on request.
Thank you for taking the trouble to read this publication. If you wish to sign it and retain a copy for your own records, please do so below.
If you would like a copy of this publication to be filed in your hospital records for future reference, please let your Urologist or Specialist Nurse know. However, if you do agree to proceed with the scheduled procedure, you will be asked to sign a separate consent form that will be filed in your hospital. You will, if you wish, be provided with a copy of the consent form.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, no guarantee can be given that all errors and omissions have been excluded. No responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted