Pain modulation by audiovisual distraction during cystoscopy

Cystoscopy is one of the most common urological procedures used for either diagnostics, therapeutics, or for surveillance. It may be performed under local or general anesthesia. The procedure is associated with pain and discomfort.

The aim of the study was to compare the levels of perceived pain during local cystoscopy with and without audiovisual distraction (AVD).

A randomized control study was performed at our academic hospital local cystoscopy theater of the urology division. Approximately half the patients already booked for the local rigid cystoscopy procedure were exposed to a distracting musical video during the procedure (study group), while the control group was not.

Descriptive statistics were used to determine percentage, mean, and standard deviation (SD) for categorical data. The Mann-Whitney U-test for nonparametric data was used for comparing pain levels.

A total of 91 patients participated in the study with 48 patients in the study group and 43 patients in the control group. The visual analog scale (VAS) ranged between 1 and 5/10 in the study group and 1-8/10 in the control group, while the mean VAS was 2.52 ± 1.2 SD in the study group and 4.97 ± 1.35 SD in the control group. The AVD intervention was statistically significant (P < 0.0001).

AVD during local rigid cystoscopy is highly recommended, especially in patients undergoing the procedure for the first time.