Cystoscopy

Cystoscopy is a test that looks at the inside of the bladder and the urethra using a thin, lighted instrument called a cystoscope. The cystoscope is inserted into your urethra and slowly advanced into the bladder. Cystoscopy allows the physicians to see more advanced images of that region, that do not usually show up on a normal X-ray. Tiny surgical instruments can be inserted through the cystoscope to perform small biopsies or samples of urine.

Cystoscopy may be done for the following:

• Find the cause of symptoms such as blood in the urine, painful urination, or urgency to urine
• Repeated urinary tract infections
• Evaluate problems that cannot be seen on an X-ray
• Remove small urinary tract stones, bleeding in the bladder, or relieve blockages.