Evaluation of basic methods used for the diagnosis of bladder tumours

In a series of 181 patients with bladder tumours, the authors assessed the reliability of the basic diagnostic methods as compared with operative findings. The incorrect estimations of the tumour size (30%) and that of the tumour type (25%) were the least consistent items on cystoscopy. A discrepancy was found between the palpatory finding and the depth of infiltration in 36%. The degree of cellular differentiation as estimated endoscopically and found at operative biopsy agreed in 75%. Preoperative biopsy gave information about the depth of infiltration in 41% of the cases, but in a half of the cases this information did not agree with the result of operative biopsy. The authors obtained consistent results by a complex evaluation of basic diagnostic methods in 76% of patients.