The bladder, as you may know, does two things for us, it stores the urine and it empties the urine, it’s our pump, so preservation of that pump is very important. And as part of the evaluation for your urinary symptoms, in men, as the prostate enlarges, we commonly may have questions about the state of your urinary tract. And so three tests that we commonly do may be cystoscopy, a prostate ultrasound, and a bladder pressure evaluation called a UroCuff.

The first test is called cystoscopy, and that involves looking into the urethra, up into the bladder. We insert a small tube or catheter that we can see through. And prior to doing that, your doctor will put in some numbing medicine in the urethra. And as part of looking into the bladder with the scope, you may feel a little irritation, the urge to urinate. It’s not typically painful, but it does give you the urge to urinate. After the procedure, which takes about 30 seconds to a minute, the scope will be removed and you’ll urinate. At times, for the first few voids, you may feel the sudden urge to urinate, and you may have the small amount of blood in the urine with those voids. After that, there’s no real restrictions on your physical activities. You may receive a single antibiotic dose after the procedure to cover for any urinary infection. After that time, your doctor will tell you what the findings were and what the next steps are in the evaluation.

The next test is called a prostate ultrasound, and that involves putting a probe that we can image the prostate with into the rectum. So when you come into the exam room, you’ll be placed onto your side and the probe is inserted into the rectum. We use a little numbing jelly or lubricant to pass the probe. Again, it’s not typically painful, but it’s not comfortable, it gives you a sensation of also of needing to urinate when we do the procedure. Your doctor will look at the prostate, examine its relation to the bladder, the size. There’s different lobes of the prostate, and we’ll assess their relation to the bladder as an evaluation of your urinary tract. And the information we gain from that is it helps us to know the dimensions of your prostate and the character of the prostate, and whether there’s any impingement or growth up into the bladder that may affect a choice and decision of how to manage your urinary condition.

Another test is called a UroCuff. And the purpose of that test is, as we’ve talked about, your bladder does two things, it helps to store the urine and it empties the urine. And as part of your urinary condition and prostate condition, the prostate may affect how the bladder is functioning in trying to generate enough force to empty your bladder. And a UroCuff test involves putting a small cuff or a cylinder around the tip of the penis. That doesn’t involve having to put any tube into the penis, but it’s fitted on the outside, similar to a condom. And that cuff generates a pressure, which as the patient urinates can measure the pressure generated within the bladder. And so you come into the office, the cuff is fitted around the penis. You’ll be asked to come with a full bladder so you’re able to urinate. It’s not always a normal sensation or having that kind of thing done, and it can be difficult to time exactly how full your bladder is when you arrive. But if you let us know as soon as you arrive that you’re here in the office for a UroCuff test, the nurses and assistants will be readily available to try to get you back as soon as possible.

After the test is done, we’ll be able to review the results, find out the effects that your bladder is going through when urinating, and your doctor will use that to guide your treatment decision and recommendations. So if you have any concerns about your urinary health, please visit our website or call for an appointment.