Background: Cystoscopy is one of the most important devices for diagnosing bladder tumor, but has a crucial shortcoming--the size of observed objects cannot be measured. This paper describes a new method to measure the position and size of a bladder tumor using a three-dimensional mapping device.
Methods: The three-dimensional mapping device, which is connected to an endoscope prior to use, can precisely measure the size and show the position of a bladder tumor. It consists of several arms connected by an angle sensor mounted on the articular site. One end of the device is fixed to the table and the other end is connected to the eye piece of an endoscope. Weight balancers keep each arm in a well balanced position, so urologists can freely manipulate the endoscope. Data from the angle sensor is sent to a personal computer (PC), which computes data such as three-dimensional coordination and diameter of a tumor. The diameter of a tumor is calculated by the PC according to the Pythagorean theorem.
Conclusion: The position and size of a bladder tumor can be measured using our three-dimensional mapping device.
Keywords: bladder tumor; computer; cystoscopy; endoscope; measurement; three dimension.