Abstract
It is a widespread assumption that normal micturition behaviour is reflected in a normal flow pattern. This would also mean that a normal flow curve would correspond with normal voiding and would even permit to exclude voiding difficulties. In our study we investigated the value of a normal flow pattern in four different groups: stress incontinent women, women with bladder overactivity, healthy middle-aged volunteers and healthy students. These women voided with a bell-shaped flow curve on pressure flow in 50, 65, 57 and 50%, respectively. Women who strained to void, a major component of dysfunctional voiding, managed to void a bell-shaped flow curve in 46, 60, 70 and 100%, respectively. Our study demonstrates that a “normal” bell-shaped flow curve does not exclude voiding dysfunction in women.
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We thank Dr. Edward Pauwels and his assistant Agnes De Cauwer for their help in recruiting healthy volunteers.
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Editorial Comment: It is assumed that normal voiding behavior is reflected in a normal flow pattern, but it is unknown whether one can assume the correlate, that is whether a normal flow curve corresponds to normal voiding. To answer this question, the authors prospectively evaluated free flow and pressure flow patterns in four groups—women with SUI, women with OAB, healthy middle-aged women and young healthy female students. They found that normal bell-shaped free-flow curves were found in 67–83% and bell-shaped pressure flow curves were found in 50–65%. They then showed that bell-shaped flow curves were found in 24 patients who had evidence of abdominal straining during micturition
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Pauwels, E., De Wachter, S. & Wyndaele, JJ. A normal flow pattern in women does not exclude voiding pathology. Int Urogynecol J 16, 104–108 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-004-1227-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-004-1227-8