ARTICLE SUMMARY:
Today’s catheter-based system for urodynamic testing is often uncomfortable and painful, such that it’s almost a last resort, even though it’s the only tool clinicians have for accurately diagnosing and treating the causes of lower urinary tract symptoms. Urologic Health aims to burst that bottleneck with a new, noninvasive modality for urodynamic testing.
Patients presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms may require a bladder function study to evaluate underlying conditions such as overactive bladder, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infection, bladder outlet obstruction, and other disorders. This comprehensive assessment is often essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment planning. Nevertheless, the procedure can be uncomfortable and, at times, painful, leading many patients to view it as an experience they would prefer not to repeat.
Today’s urodynamic studies require the insertion of a thin catheter bearing a pressure sensor at its tip, through the urethra into the bladder; sometimes a second catheter is inserted vaginally or into the rectum to measure abdominal pressure. The bladder is slowly filled with sterile fluid, while the patient is repeatedly asked to report on things like the moment they feel the bladder filling, or when they feel an urge to urinate. The kicker is the test subject is not under any sort of sedation during this often agonizing procedure, because sedation can alter bladder sensation and interfere with the results. Everyone involved, and especially the patient, would certainly agree that the conventional diagnostic urodynamic workup is a necessary evil.
