Is Antibiotic Administration Indicated after Outpatient Cystoscopy

The incidence of urinary tract infection was examined in 138 patients who underwent diagnostic cystoscopy in an outpatient clinical setting with preoperatively sterile urine. A prospective randomized trial was conducted to compare the incidence of infection in patients who received no antibiotic (controls, group 1) and those who received a postoperative course of oral antibiotics (group 2). The incidence of bacteriuria after cystoscopy was 2.8 per cent in group 1 (control) and 1.5 per cent in group 2, with an over-all incidence of 2.2 per cent. Only 1 patient presented with a symptomatic infection (0.7 per cent). This study has confirmed the safety of outpatient cystoscopy and has demonstrated that routine administration of postoperative antibiotics is not indicated.