Endoscopic ultrasonic aspiration of superficial bladder tumors

The gold standard of surgical treatment for superficial bladder tumor is transurethral resection (TUR). However, the procedure has drawbacks: it needs skill to avoid perforation of the bladder wall, while burns on the resected tissue are disadvantageous for histological examination. We developed an endoscopic ultrasonic aspiration system which is easy to manipulate and makes no burns on aspirated tissue. Furthermore, the equipment includes a coagulating system.Transurethral ultrasonic aspiration was performed in 19 cases of superficial bladder tumor with a prototype 24Fr Y-shaped rigid endoscope. The efficacy of bladder tumor aspiration was evaluated and ultrasonic aspiration was compared to the conventional TUR procedure. Bladder tumors less than 2 cm were aspirated very rapidly. Blood loss was minimal and the largest tumor aspirated in this series weighed 6.5 grams. Aspirated tissue was large enough for histological examination. Compared to conventional TUR, the ultrasonic aspiration has advantages of no burns on aspirated tissue and easy manipulation. Transurethral ultrasonic aspiration may be an alternative procedure for the treatment of superficial bladder tumor.