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A. This procedure involves telescopic inspection of the bladder and urethra with gentle stretching of urethra and, occasionally, bladder biopsy or removal of abnormal areas with the use of heat/diathermy.
A. The alternatives include:
A. If you are taking blood thinning medication on a regular basis, you must discuss this with your urologist because these drugs can cause increased bleeding after surgery. There may be a balance of risk where stopping them will reduce the chances of bleeding but this can result in increased clotting, which may also carry a risk to your health. This will, therefore, need careful discussion with regard to risks and benefits. Aspirin does not usually need to be stopped but will be the decision of your surgeon.
You will usually be admitted on the same day as your surgery, or a day before. You will normally undergo pre assessment on the day of your clinic. After admission, you will be seen by members of the medical team which may include the consultant, junior urology doctors and nurse.
You will be asked not to eat or drink for six hours before surgery and, immediately before the operation, you may be given a pre-medication by the anaesthetist which will make you dry-mouthed and pleasantly sleepy.
Please be sure to inform your urologist in advance of your surgery if you have any of the following:
A. Either a full general anaesthetic (where you will be asleep throughout the procedure) or a spinal anaesthetic (where you are awake but unable to feel anything from the waist down) will be used. All methods minimise pain; your anaesthetist will explain the pros and cons of each type of anaesthetic to you.
You will usually be given injectable antibiotics before the procedure, after checking for any allergies.
A telescope is inserted through the water pipe (urethra) to inspect both the urethra itself and the whole lining of the bladder. Dilators are then used to stretch the opening of the urethra gently.
A. You will normally be allowed home once you have passed urine satisfactorily. If a catheter is left in place, this will normally be removed within 24 hours and you will be discharged once you have passed urine satisfactorily.
The average hospital stay is one day.
A. Most procedures have a potential for side effects. You should be reassured that, although all these complications are well recognised, the majority of patients do not suffer any problems after a urological procedure.
Common (greater than one in 10)
Occasional (between 1 in 10 and 1 in 50)
Rare (less than 1 in 50)
A. When you leave hospital, you will be given a discharge summary of your admission. This holds important information about your inpatient stay and your operation.
When you get home, you should drink twice as much fluid as you would normally for the next 24 to 48 hours to flush your system through. You may find that, when you first pass urine, it stings or burns slightly and it may be lightly bloodstained.
If you continue to drink plenty of fluid, this discomfort and bleeding will resolve rapidly.
A. If you develop a fever, severe pain on passing urine, inability to pass urine or worsening bleeding, you should contact your urologist immediately.