The role of abdominal and transrectal ultrasound and cytology in the detection of recurrent bladder tumours.

Transrectal and transabdominal ultrasound combined with cytology were compared with conventional cystoscopy as a mean of detecting recurrences of bladder tumours. One hundred and twenty-five patients underwent combination ultrasound in the outpatient department 1 week before cystoscopy. Combination ultrasound identified 90% of recurrent tumours and tumour identification with the results of ultrasound and cytology combined was 93%. The false positive rate was 2%. The ultrasonographer would have referred 97% of patients with recurrent tumour for cystoscopy. Combination ultrasound and cytology may be a satisfactory alternative to check cystoscopy in certain categories of bladder tumours.