最后更新: 8 月 28, 2026
A bladder tumour is removed through a telescope passed along the urethra — no incision. There are two ways of doing it, and the difference between them matters more to the pathologist than most patients realise.
Before the techniques, one thing worth saying plainly: the operation is the beginning of treatment, not the end of it. That part was missing from the earlier version of this article and is covered further down.
- 曼谷医院泌尿外科中心 泰国 在线预订 02-310-3009 bhquro@bdms.co.th
- 春武里府斯里拉查(Samitivej Sriracha)医院 088-022-1445
The conventional operation
Conventional resection uses an electrical loop to shave the tumour away in fragments, sometimes many of them. It is effective, it is available everywhere, and it has two well-recognised drawbacks.
The first is the obturator reflex. The electrical current can stimulate a nerve running beside the bladder, causing the leg to jerk involuntarily at the moment of cutting — with the loop inside the bladder wall. That is how a bladder gets perforated, and a significant perforation can turn a telescope operation into an open one.
The second is the specimen. A tumour removed in fragments, with the edges cauterised, is harder for the pathologist to read — and the single most important question, whether the tumour has invaded the muscle of the bladder wall, depends on having that muscle present and interpretable in the sample.

Laser en-bloc resection
Instead of shaving the tumour away, the holmium laser cuts around and beneath it, lifting it out whole with the base attached. The pathologist receives an intact specimen with an orientated deep margin.
- A better specimen — muscle reliably present, margins readable, and staging correspondingly more confident. This is the strongest argument for the technique.
- Less bleeding, since the laser seals as it cuts.
- The obturator reflex is removed as a cause of perforation, because laser energy does not stimulate the nerve. The earlier version said the risk is eliminated; perforation can still occur mechanically, so the accurate statement is that this particular mechanism is removed rather than that perforation becomes impossible.
- Shorter catheter time and hospital stay, and fewer irritative symptoms afterwards.
What it does not suit, and what is not yet established
Both points were absent from the earlier version, which listed only a learning curve and equipment cost as drawbacks.
En-bloc removal is limited by tumour size. A tumour has to come out through the urethra in one piece, so the technique suits smaller tumours — broadly those under about three centimetres — and larger or multiple tumours are still better handled by conventional resection. The right operation depends on the tumour, not on which equipment the hospital owns, and a page comparing the two should say so.
And on outcomes: the specimen advantage is well demonstrated. Whether en-bloc resection reduces recurrence or improves survival is not established — the evidence so far shows comparable oncological results rather than superiority. Better staging is a real benefit, since it means fewer men are under-treated or over-treated; it is not the same as living longer, and it should not be sold as such.
The remaining limitations stand: it needs a laser system, and it needs a surgeon who has done enough cases — on the order of twenty-five — to be proficient.
What happens after the operation
None of this was in the earlier version, and for a man who has just been told he has a bladder tumour it matters far more than the choice of instrument.
- A single dose of chemotherapy into the bladder is often given within hours of the operation, which reduces the chance of the tumour coming back.
- A second look operation is recommended for certain tumours — high-grade disease, or where muscle was absent from the specimen. This is where specimen quality earns its keep: a good en-bloc specimen can spare a man a second anaesthetic.
- A course of treatment instilled into the bladder over months, for higher-risk non-muscle-invasive disease.
- Where the tumour has invaded muscle, telescope surgery is not the treatment and the conversation moves to removing the bladder or to radiotherapy with chemotherapy.
- Lifelong surveillance. Bladder cancer recurs — this is its defining behaviour — so repeat cystoscopy on a schedule for years is part of the treatment rather than an optional check-up. Men who stop attending are the ones who present again with something worse.
And the single most useful thing a patient can do: stop smoking. Smoking is the dominant cause of bladder cancer, and continuing after diagnosis is associated with more recurrence and worse outcomes. It is the one part of this that is entirely in the patient’s hands.
Symptoms that need attention rather than waiting for an appointment
In an emergency in Thailand, call 1669.
- 血尿 that has not been investigated — this is how bladder cancer usually announces itself, and painless bleeding is more concerning rather than less. See blood in the urine.
- Clots blocking the flow, or inability to pass urine.
- Fever or shaking chills after a bladder operation, or heavy bleeding.
- Severe lower abdominal pain after resection, which may indicate perforation.
- A surveillance appointment you have let lapse. Not urgent today, and the most consequential item on this list.
常见问题解答
What is the difference between conventional and en-bloc resection?
Conventional resection shaves the tumour away in fragments with an electrical loop. Laser en-bloc resection cuts around and beneath it, removing it whole with its base. The en-bloc specimen is easier for the pathologist to read, particularly for the crucial question of whether the tumour has invaded the bladder muscle.
Is the laser technique better?
Better in specific ways — specimen quality, less bleeding, removal of the obturator reflex as a cause of perforation, shorter stay. It is not better for every tumour: en-bloc removal is limited by size, so larger or multiple tumours are still better handled conventionally. Whether it reduces recurrence or improves survival is not established; the evidence shows comparable oncological outcomes.
What is the obturator reflex?
Electrical current during conventional resection can stimulate a nerve beside the bladder, causing the leg to jerk while the cutting loop is against the bladder wall — a recognised cause of perforation. Laser energy does not trigger it, which removes that mechanism, though perforation remains possible mechanically.
Is the operation the whole treatment?
No. A single dose of chemotherapy into the bladder is often given straight afterwards, a second look operation is recommended for certain tumours, higher-risk disease is treated with a course of instillations, and muscle-invasive disease requires quite different treatment. Lifelong surveillance cystoscopy follows, because bladder cancer recurs.
Does it matter if I keep smoking?
Yes, considerably. Smoking is the dominant cause of bladder cancer and continuing after diagnosis is associated with more recurrence and worse outcomes. It is the part of this entirely within your control.
Arranging a consultation
Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone is a board-certified urologist with fellowship training in robotic and minimally invasive urological surgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan, and sees patients at 曼谷医院总部 and at Samitivej Sriracha Hospital in Chonburi on 088-022-1445. Bring any previous cystoscopy findings, pathology reports and imaging — the pathology report in particular determines what happens next.
曼谷医院远程医疗服务适用于无法亲自就诊的患者,包括国际患者——请通过电子邮件提前向泌尿科预约: bhquro@bdms.co.th. Samitivej Sriracha is in-person only. Enquiries about cost and equipment availability are answered by the hospital, not by this website.
免责声明 This content is written and reviewed by Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone, a board-certified urologist at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters, and is intended for education only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis or a prescription for any individual, and no advice, diagnosis or prescription is given through personal messaging channels or social media. Dr. Soarawee operates no public social media account; any account offering private consultation in his name is fraudulent. In an emergency in Thailand, call 1669.
医学撰写与审阅: Soarawee Weerasopone 博士(Pom 博士)——曼谷医院总部泌尿外科专科医生,自 2016 年起从事泌尿外科工作。曾于 2019 年在台湾长庚纪念医院接受机器人手术培训;2022 年在东京顺天堂大学医院接受泌尿外科内镜观察培训;2025 年至 2026 年在美国贝勒医学院斯科特泌尿外科系担任研究学者和临床观察员。.

素拉威·韦拉索蓬医生(Dr. Pom)是曼谷总医院总部(Bangkok Hospital Headquarters)的特许泌尿外科医师,专长于男性健康、机器人手术(达芬奇 Xi 系统)以及肾结石治疗。他目前是贝勒医学院(Baylor College of Medicine)斯科特泌尿外科系(在莫希特·克拉教授 Mohit Khera 指导下)的研究学者和临床观察员(2025–2026年)。他曾于2019年在台湾长庚纪念医院完成机器人手术专科培训,并于2022年在东京顺天堂大学附属医院完成泌尿内腔镜观察学习。.

