How accurate are sonograms for bladder tumors?

Ultrasound is a very specific tool to diagnose bladder tumors, but not a very sensitive one.
What this means is that in case of a POSITIVE ULTRASOUND report you can be pretty sure that you have a tumor in the bladder, however in case of a NEGATIVE report (like your case) there is still a chance that you may have a small superficial low grade tumor that may be picked up by cystoscopy, and that is why it is being done.
All the best for your procedure,
for more details read this abstract of a medical journal,
http://www.jurology.com/pt/re/juro/abstract.00005392-199802000-00015.htm;jsessionid=C52N1h8CBkcgqDUy1TzDug37FV6MSydcYe5b DSaTr2xENdr8L22a!250931426!-949856145!9001!-1

Sonograms are pretty accurate. I had one done last year (for pain I had on my right rib cage area) during my sonogram it was found that I had a half inch cyst on my left fallopian tube. I found a site that has useful info about cystoscopy:

http://mywebmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw210556.asp

Hope this helps.

__________________
Joanna Martin

Another question.

I also had urine cytology done and it came back negative. How
accurate are they?

A cytology exam of urine is used to detect cancer and inflammatory diseases of the urinary tract.
The test is often performed when bladder lesions are noted on an X-ray. The test may occasionally be performed in individuals who are at high risk of developing bladder cancer. The test can also detect cytomegalovirus and other viral diseases.
There may be an abundance of epithelial cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, or atypical-looking cells. Cancer cells may be present. The results can imply cancer or inflammation of the urinary tract.

Also see:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003905.htm

Please note that blood in urine may not come from bladder only, but also from kidneys, ureteres or urethra.
Also note that a good cytologist usually means an accurate urine cytology, because the test is done under the microscope.


Wish you health!

Dr Herb

Edited by drherb on August 14 2005 at 1:34pm