Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Urethral pressure response patterns induced by squeeze in continent and incontinent women

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Urogynecology Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Our aim was to compare the urethral pressure response pattern to pelvic floor muscle contractions in 20–27 years old, nulliparous continent women (n = 31) to that of continent (n = 28) and formerly untreated incontinent (n = 59) (53–63 years old) women. These women underwent urethral pressure measurements during rest and repeated pelvic muscle contractions. The response to the contractions was graded 0–4. The young continent women showed a mean urethral pressure response of 2.8, the middle-aged continent women 2.2 (NS vs young continent), and the incontinent women 1.5 (p < 0.05 vs middle-aged continent, p < 0.001 vs young continent). Urethral pressures during rest were significantly higher in the younger women than in both groups of middle-aged women. The decreased ability to increase urethral pressure on demand seen in middle-aged incontinent women compared to continent women of the same age as well as young women seems to be a consequence of a neuromuscular disorder rather than of age.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Thor KB, Donatucci C (2004) Central nervous system control of the lower urinary tract: new pharmacological approaches to stress urinary incontinence in women. J Urol 172(1):27–33

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Schaer GN, Koechli OR, Schuessler B, Haller U (1997) Can simultaneously perineal sonography and urethrocystometry help explain urethral pressure variations? Neurourol Urodyn 16:31–38

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Creed KE, Van der Werf B (2001) The innervation and properties of the urethral striated muscle. Scand J Urol Nephrol Suppl 207:8–11

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Mayer R, Wells TJ, Brink CA, Clark P (1994) Correlations between dynamic urethral profilometry and perivaginal muscle activity. Neurourol Urodyn 13:227–235

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Petros P, Ulmsten U (1995) Urethral pressure increase on effort originates from within the urethra, and continence from musculovaginal closure. Neurourol Urodyn 14:337–350

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Teleman PM, Gunnarsson M, Lidfeldt J, Nerbrand C, Samsioe G, Mattiasson A (2003) Urethral pressure changes in response to squeeze: a population-based study in healthy and incontinent 53- to 63-year old women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 189:1100–1105

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gunnarsson M, Mattiasson A (1999) Female stress, urge and mixed urinary incontinence are associated with a chronic and progressive pelvic floor/vaginal neuromuscular disorder. Neurourol Urodyn 18:613–621

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Lidfeldt J, Nerbrand C, Samsioe G, Scherstén B, Agardh C-D (2001) A screening procedure detecting high-yield candidates for OGTT. The Women’s Health in the Lund Area (WHILA) study: a population based study of middle-aged Swedish women. Eur J Epidemiol 17:943–951

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Teleman P, Gunnarsson M, Mattiasson A, Lidfeldt J, Nerbrand C, Samsioe G (2002) Urodynamic characterisation of women with a history of naïve urinary incontinence—a population based study in subjectively healthy and incontinent 53–63 years old women. Eur Urol 42(6):583–589

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Schafer W, Abrams P, Liao L, Mattiasson A, Pesce F, Spangberg A, Sterling AM, Zinner NR, van Kerrebroeck P (2002) International Continence Society. Good urodynamic practices: uroflowmetry, filling cystometry, and pressure-flow studies. Neurourol Urodyn 21(3):261–274

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Lose G (2001) Urethral pressure measurement—problems and clinical value. Scand J Urol Nephrol Suppl 207:61–66

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Weber AM (2001) Is urethral pressure profilometry a useful diagnostic test for stress urinary incontinence? Obst Gynecol Survey 56:720–735

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hundley A, Visco A (2004) Comparison of measurements obtained with microtip and external water pressure transducers. Int Urogynecol J 15(4):276–280

    Google Scholar 

  14. Rud T (1980) Urethral pressure profile in continent women from childhood to old age. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 59:331–335

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Perucchini D, DeLancey JO, Ashton-Miller J, Peschers U, Kataria T (2002) Age effects on urethral striated muscle I. Changes in number and diameter of striated muscle fibers in the ventral urethra. Am J Obstet Gynecol 186(3):351–355

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Thind P, Lose G, Jorgensen L, Colstrup H (1990) Variations in urethral and bladder pressure during stress episodes in healthy women. Br J Urol 66(4):389–392

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Bo K, Stien R (1994) Needle EMG registration of striated urethral wall and pelvic muscle activity patterns during cough, Valsalva, abdominal, adductor, and gluteal muscle contractions in nulliparous healthy females. Neurourol Urodyn 13(1):35–41

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kenton K, Brubaker L (2002) Relationship between levator ani contraction and motor unit activation in the urethral sphincter. Am J Obstet Gynecol 187:403–406

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Miller J, Umek W, Delancey JO, Ashton-Miller J (2004) Can women without visible pubococcygeal muscle in MR images still increase urethral closure pressures? Am J Obstet Gynecol 191:171–175

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pia M. Teleman.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Teleman, P.M., Mattiasson, A. Urethral pressure response patterns induced by squeeze in continent and incontinent women. Int Urogynecol J 18, 1027–1031 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0284-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-006-0284-6

Keywords

Navigation