Differentiation of lower urinary tract dysfunctions: The role of ambulatory urodynamic monitoring

Kevin L. J. Rademakers*, Jamie M. A. F. L. Drossaerts, Mohammad S. Rahnama'i, Gommert A. van Koeveringe

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Objectives To determine the value of ambulatory urodynamic monitoring in the assessment of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study including patients who underwent both conventional urodynamic and ambulatory urodynamic assessment at our Center between December 2002 and February 2013. The ambulatory urodynamic studies were interpreted in a standardized way by a resident experienced with urodynamic measurements, and one staff member who specialized in incontinence and urodynamics. ResultsA total of 239 patients (71 male and 168 female) were included in the present study. The largest subgroup of patients, 79 (33%), underwent ambulatory urodynamic monitoring based on suspicion of an acontractile bladder. However, 66 of these patients (83.5%) still showed contractions on ambulatory urodynamics. Other groups that were analyzed were patients with suspected storage dysfunction (47 patients), inconclusive conventional urodynamic studies (68 patients) and incontinence of unclear origin (45 patients). Particularly in this last group, ambulatory urodynamics appeared to be useful for discrimination between different causes of incontinence. ConclusionsAmbulatory urodynamic monitoring is a valuable discriminating diagnostic tool in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms who have already undergone conventional urodynamics, particularly in the case of patients with suspected bladder acontractility and incontinence of unclear origin during ambulatory urodynamics. Further study is required to determine the clinical implications of the findings and their relationship with treatment outcome.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)503-507
JournalInternational Journal of Urology
Volume22
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2015

Keywords

  • acontractile bladder
  • ambulatory urodynamics
  • detrusor overactivity
  • lower urinary tract dysfunction
  • lower urinary tract symptoms

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