[Cystoscopy in the outpatient clinical routine: things to keep in mind].

Cystoscopy is an important procedure in the diagnostic evaluation of the lower urinary tract. Standard cystoscopy (white light) undergoes permanent improvement. High-end instruments and video systems are available, supported by PDD (photodynamic diagnostic), NBI (narrow band imaging) and digital contrast enhancement to improve the detection rate of bladder cancer. A correct indication, careful patient education and high expertise are core competencies of our daily business needed to minimise discomfort, keep the complication rate as low as possible and find the correct diagnosis. A severe mismatch is seen between the hygiene requirements in instrument preparation and infrastructure on the one hand and payment on the other. Digital image processing and artificial intelligence will raise the procedure to the next level in the future.