OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was the assessment of flexible cystoscopy assisted by hexaminolevulinate (HAL) fluorescence.

METHODS: This study was a prospective controlled, within-patient comparison of flexible HAL cystoscopy with standard flexible cystoscopy, HAL rigid and standard white light rigid cystoscopy. Eligible patients received an intravesical instillation of 50 ml hexylaminolevulinate 8 mM solution. First flexible than rigid cystoscopy was performed in each patient using a Combilight PDD system (Richard Wolf, Germany), which provided standard white light and blue light at 375 to 440 nm, with mapping of all lesions detected. All tumors and suspicious areas identified under white light and by red fluorescence with flexible or rigid cystoscopy were then resected by TUR or biopsied. The specimen was assessed by an independent blinded pathologist.

RESULTS: In the 45 patients studied 41 (91%) patients had exophytic tumors, of which 39 (95.1%) were detected by HAL flexible cystoscopy and 40 (97.5%) by HAL rigid cystoscopy. 17 (37.8%) patients had concomitant or carcinoma in situ only, which was identified by HAL flexible cystoscopy in 14 (82.3%), by HAL rigid cystoscopy in 15 (88.2%), by flexible standard in 11 (64.7%) and by standard white light rigid cystoscopy in 13 (76.7%) patients.

CONCLUSION: HAL fluorescence flexible cystoscopy compared to HAL rigid cystoscopy showed almost equivalent results in detecting papillary and flat lesions in bladder cancer patients. Both procedures were superior to standard white light flexible cystoscopy.