[The place of urinary cytology in the diagnosis of urothelial tumors].

A cytologic study was done in three groups of patients, either for screening purposes or for the follow up of vesical tumors already treated by transurethral resection or cystectomy. The reliability of urinary cytology is closely related to the degree of tumor anaplasia (81,8% positive cytology in grade III tumors). When a cytologic and cystoscopic follow-up is done, the results of these two methods are in agreement in 60% of the cases. In the follow up of patients already treated for vesical tumors, the association of cystoscopy and cytology increases the discovery of recurrences by 40%. The persistence of isolated positive cytologies is indicative of highly malignant lesions (grade III). In cystectomized patients, a close correlation exists between the histologic grade and the positivity of the cytologic survey. A cytologic follow up after cystectomy helps to discover a greater number of urethral recurrences.