A new instrument for the visualization and laser treatment of the female urethra and trigone

✍ Scribed by P. M. Allen; G. D. Davis

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 572 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0937-3462
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00455091

✦ Synopsis

While fiber-optic instruments are commonly utilized to diagnose urethral mucosal abnormalities, their usefulness in therapy is limited. In 1893 Howard Kelly described an instrument which allowed direct visualization of the urethra and bladder mucosa. In this study the classic Kelly air cystoscope was modified and used to diagnose and treat patients with inflammatory and neoplastic lesions of the urethral musoca, using direct visualization techniques with and without colposcopy. The urethral mucosa was subjected to biopsy and carbon dioxide laser ablation. Steroid infiltration of the submocosal tissue was also performed. The authors' study group consisted of 49 patients with inflammatory (20), condylomatous (22), cystic (2) and undiagnosed (5) conditions of the proximal and midurethral mucosa. This simple, inexpensive instrument allowed direct access to the urethral mucosa for diagnostic and therapeutic intervention. Patients suffered no significant morbidity from the use of this instrument.