Evaluation of pain caused by urethrocystoscopy in patients with superficial bladder cancer: a perspective of quality of life.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to evaluate patients' tolerance to pain caused by urethrocystoscopy (UCS) in both diagnosis and the period of follow-up in patients with superficial bladder cancer, and to evaluate these results with respect to quality of life.


METHODS
Between March 2003 and October 2004, 66 patients with bladder cancer or hematuria underwent UCS and recorded their overall pain level.


RESULTS
The mean age was 60.4 (range 26-83) years. UCS was done only one time in 22 patients for the diagnosis of etiology of hematuria and was done 4 times in 44 patients every 3 months for bladder cancer follow-up. The mean pain scores on first, second, third, and fourth UCS were 4.3+/-2.2, 4.7+/-2.5, 4.68+/-2.45, and 5.1+/-2.5, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found among mean pain scores of patients on first, third, and forth cystoscopic examinations (p < 0.05). No correlation was found between age and pain scores in this study group (p > 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
UCS is a painful surgical procedure and pain tolerance was not observed on repeated UCS. Therefore urologists need to use more effective anesthetic methods to provide better patients' tolerance to pain and quality of life during the endoscopic procedure.
Müezzinoglu
Talha
T
Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
Ceylan
Yasin
Y
Temeltaş
Gökhan
G
Lekili
Murat
M
Büyüksu
Coşkun
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000772:Anesthesia, Local; D003558:Cystoscopy / Q000523:psychology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006417:Hematuria / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000473:pathology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology