[Impulse cytophotometry and irrigation cytology in the diagnosis of bladder cancer].

In a retrospective study in which 273 patients with histologically proven carcinoma of the urinary bladder had been examined by performed cytological and flow cytometric analysis carried out in parallel, the diagnostic yield of flow cytometry was compared with the result of urinary cytology. Urinary cytology and flow cytometry made it possible to detect histologically proven transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in 60% and 64%, respectively. Combination of the two methods increased the diagnostic yield to 76%. An increase in the diagnostic yield was seen especially for well-differentiated TCC, from 34% to 51%. In spite of this improvement, the combination of flow cytometry with urinary cytology did not mean fewer endoscopic investigations were needed in view of the persisting substantial diagnostic deficit in well-differentiated TCC.