5 advantages of flexible cystoscopy in bladder cancer screening

Bladder cancer is very easy to recur, so patients need regular follow-up examinations after bladder cancer surgery, and cystoscopy is one of the follow-up items. However, cystoscopy is an invasive operation, which will cause certain pain to patients, especially male patients, who are unwilling to undergo the examination. In addition, cystoscopy will cause pain and bleeding due to the friction of the urethra by the sheath of the scope. For this reason, many patients refuse to be examined due to fear, so that the tumor cannot be found early. Compared with traditional cystoscopy, cystoscopy is more easily accepted by patients and has the following advantages:

1. Check for blind spots

The body of the flexible cystoscope is soft, and the tip of the scope can be bent upward and downward at a large angle, so the bladder walls, bladder neck and internal urethral opening can be scanned inside the bladder, avoiding blind spots.

2. Less damage

The flexible cystoscope is similar to a urinary catheter, with a diameter of <16Fr, so it is almost painless when inserted under topical anesthesia. Gently inserting it under direct vision will basically not cause damage to the urethra and bladder, and reduce the risk of bleeding.

3. Clear vision

Cystoscopy is less damaging and can minimize the impact of traumatic hematuria on observation. The soft endoscope is also equipped with a suction device to remove floating objects in the bladder that hinder observation, thereby ensuring a clear field of vision. In addition, cystoscopy is an electronic digital imaging with extremely high image resolution, which can detect earlier and smaller lesions. The digital image can also be transmitted to the computer through the image acquisition system to achieve synchronous remote consultation.

4. Low requirements for body position

During traditional cystoscopy, the patient needs to be in the lithotomy position, which is difficult for patients with lower limb deformities, severe arthritis, and hemiplegia. Soft cystoscopy is not restricted by body position and can be performed in the lithotomy position, supine position, and lateral position.

5. Can check the urethra and bladder at the same time

The flexible cystoscope can examine the urethra and bladder at the same time, overcoming the disadvantage of the traditional cystoscope that the endoscope needs to be replaced when observing the urethra and bladder.