[Cytology in the detection and followup of urothelial tumors. Critical review of 500 cytologic investigations (authors transl)].

500 cytologic studies were performed in patients who underwent urological explorations. Sensitivity is defined as the ability to identify correctly those patients who have tumoral disease of urothelium: urine cytology is ineffective in detecting benign papilloma, but sensitivity is more than 66% in low grade carcinoma and 80% in high grade carcinoma; cytology was able to detect 4/6 transitional cell carcinomas of the upper urinary tract. Specificity, which is defined as the ability to identify correctly those patients who do not have tumoral disease, is extremely high; thus, careful urological examination must be completed when cytology is positive. Urinary cytology is needed in every urological exploration concerned with urinary tract.