The Impact of Age and Sex on Anticipated and Experienced Pain in First-Time Outpatient Flexible Cystoscopy (PAINCYST)

Cystoscopy is one of the most commonly performed diagnostic procedures in daily urological practice and is widely used for the diagnosis and follow-up of various urological conditions, including bladder tumors, benign prostatic hyperplasia, recurrent lower urinary tract infections, evaluation of hematuria, and urethral strictures. Owing to its ability to allow direct visualization of the urothelial surface, cystoscopy provides high diagnostic accuracy and serves as a valuable tool in guiding treatment planning.

Depending on the patient's clinical status, comorbidities, and the indication for the procedure, cystoscopy may be performed in the operating room under sedation, spinal anesthesia, or general anesthesia, or safely conducted in the outpatient setting under local anesthesia. Performing cystoscopy in outpatient conditions, particularly for surveillance and follow-up purposes, is of considerable importance in terms of optimizing healthcare resources. Outpatient cystoscopy reduces operating room workload, eliminates anesthesia-related risks, shortens procedural time, and lowers overall healthcare costs.

Although the development of flexible cystoscopes has significantly improved patient comfort compared with rigid instruments, cystoscopy performed under local anesthesia in the outpatient setting may still cause substantial pain, discomfort, and anxiety in a subset of patients. This issue is of particular clinical relevance in patients with bladder tumors who require regular cystoscopic surveillance, as negative procedural experiences may result in poor compliance and loss to follow-up, potentially leading to delayed diagnosis and adverse oncological outcomes.

Various analgesic and anxiolytic strategies have been employed to alleviate pain and anxiety prior to cystoscopy, most commonly the use of lidocaine-based lubricating gels. In addition, adequate patient information, proper positioning, and gentle instrumentation are routinely applied to improve procedural tolerance. However, current evidence suggests that none of these approaches alone is sufficient to completely eliminate pain and anxiety, and an optimal, universally accepted strategy has yet to be established.

Several studies have reported that pain perception during cystoscopy may be influenced by patient age, with higher pain scores observed in older individuals. This association has been attributed to age-related changes in urethral and bladder neck elasticity, the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms, and increased comorbid conditions in elderly patients.

Sex-related differences also play a significant role in pain perception during cystoscopy. In male patients, previous studies have demonstrated that the most painful phase of the procedure occurs when the tip of the cystoscope passes through the external urinary sphincter. Increased resistance encountered during passage through the bulbar urethra, located immediately distal to the external sphincter, has been associated with heightened pain perception. It has been shown that simple manual compression of the irrigation fluid bag combined with instructing patients to take deep breaths or allowing them to watch cystoscopy videos during this phase can significantly reduce perceived pain.

In contrast, female patients generally report lower pain scores during cystoscopy, which is primarily attributed to the shorter length and more straightforward anatomical course of the female urethra, resulting in shorter procedural duration and less resistance during instrument insertion.

In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward non-pharmacological interventions aimed at minimizing pain and anxiety during cystoscopy. Techniques such as listening to music, watching relaxing videos, or allowing patients to view their own cystoscopy recordings in real time have been shown to improve patient comfort and reduce pain perception during the procedure.

In light of these findings, we designed this randomized prospective study to evaluate the effect of age and sex on pain perception during flexible cystoscopy in male and female patients aged 18 years and older with no prior history of cystoscopy. We hypothesized that a better understanding of these factors would be beneficial for patient counseling and may improve patient compliance during cystoscopic evaluation of urological pathologies.