A cystoscopy is a very commonly practiced medical procedure that is very beneficial when it comes to diagnosing a number of medical conditions such as blood cancer, chronic pelvic pain, painful urination and rather frequent urinary tract infections amongst many others. A cystoscopy procedure requires the use of an instrument known as a cystoscope. This device comes in two versions - the rigid type and the flexible type. The only difference between the two lies in the flexibility of the instrument - with the flexible variant becoming an increasingly popular choice primarily because of the ease of maneuverability and amount of pain caused to the patient. The cystoscope is a think long tube that features a light source and tiny camera at the tip that enters the patient's body. There is also a separate channel in order to attach a few miniature, high precision instruments that allow the doctor to perform a number of tasks such as clear any unnatural growths and perform biopsies. Since the cystoscope device is inserted into the urethra of the woman, which is the small slit like opening located just above the larger opening of the vagina, there is no damage caused to the hymen - which is essentially the proof of virginity. As a result, you should not be worried about undergoing a cystoscopy as this part of your body will remain unaffected.
The cystoscopy is inserted into the woman's urethra and may cause very little or no pain - thereby negating the requirement of any kind of anesthesia. Once inside the urethra, the doctor examines the visuals present on the computer screen to analyze whether there is any blockage, growth or stones present in the tract. To help the doctor see the images more clearly, some amount of saline or sterile water may also be injected into the bladder in order to expand it and gain a clearer view. In some cases, the doctor may also choose to inject some antibiotics into the bladder to prevent the possibility of infection. The overall procedure is a very short one and should take no more than about 15 minutes, a little longer if a biopsy or some other action is performed. In the event the patient was administered local anesthesia, she will be allowed to return home immediately after the procedure. However, if general anesthesia was used, the patient will require to rest for a while till the effects of the anesthesia has died down - this could take roughly up to 4 hours at the most.
Submitted by M T on March 24, 2010 at 11:58