1996 Volume 87 Issue 4 Pages 797-801
(Background) We developed a new technique to determine the laterality of microscopic hematuria by means of gas cystoscopy.
(Methods) An originally designed catheter system consisted of two catheters. On the tip of an inner catherter, a urine dipstick for blood was attached, with a cap on the tip of an outer catheter to keep the dipstick dry. In order to react a dipstick with the urine coming out from a ureteral orifice in the bladder, CO2 was insufflated into the bladder through a cystoscope (gas cystoscopy). The laterality of microscopic hematuria was determined in the bladder, based on the color reaction on the dipstick.
(Results) This technique was performed successfully in 14 (88%) of 16 cases with microscopic hematuria. The laterality of microscopic hematuria was determined to be ipsilateral in 6 patients, which coincided with the side of a urological upper urinary tract disorder. In contract, bilateral microscopic hematuria was confirmed in 8 patients with glomerular disorders.
(Conclusion) The diagnostic process in patients with microscopic hematuria remains unsolved for urologists and nephrologists. This technique may provide a new approach in diagnosing microscopic hematuria.
