Evaluation of the urethral mucosa before and after oestrogen treatment in postmenopausal women with a new sampling technique.

Using a new type of nylon brush (Cytobrush) for sampling of cells, the state of the urethral mucosa was evaluated before and after oestrogen treatment in 10 patients suffering from urinary incontinence. In 4 other patients the results obtained were compared with those using the conventional cotton swab technique. The brush specimens were found to be much more cellular and consequently more informative than those obtained with the conventional technique. The cytologic examination based on brush samples also demonstrated that oestrogen treatment within 3 weeks induced a proliferation of the atrophic urethral mucosa in postmenopausal women suffering from urinary incontinence.