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Measuring urgency in clinical practice

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Abstract

Introduction

The study of urinary urgency is challenging for a number of reasons, including our lack of understanding of the normal physiology of urinary sensation and the pathophysiology of abnormal sensation. Issues with nomenclature and lack of agreement about the nature of the experience of normal and abnormal urinary sensation add to this difficulty.

Materials and methods

Review of published literature and critique.

Results

Currently available tools for measurement of urgency include validated questionnaires that describe the severity of urgency and its impact on quality of life, modified bladder diaries, body maps of urgency, and measures of urinary sensation during filling cystometry. All these provide some information about the experience of urinary urgency, but no single measure currently captures its multidimensional nature.

Conclusions

Measurement of urgency in clinical practice and indeed the optimal treatment strategy has yet to come of age.

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Conflict of interest statement

Roger R. Dmochowski has acted as a consultant to Astellas, Allergan, Novartis, Pfizer and Watson. Mary P. FitzGerald and Jean-Jacques Wyndaele have no conflicts to disclose within the last 12 months.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, Vanderbilt University, A 1302 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN, 37232-2765, USA

    Roger R. Dmochowski

  2. Departments of Obstetrics/Gynecology and Urology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL, USA

    Mary P. FitzGerald

  3. Departments of Urology, University Antwerpen and University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium

    Jean-Jacques Wyndaele

Authors
  1. Roger R. Dmochowski
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  2. Mary P. FitzGerald
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  3. Jean-Jacques Wyndaele
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Correspondence to Roger R. Dmochowski.

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Dmochowski, R.R., FitzGerald, M.P. & Wyndaele, JJ. Measuring urgency in clinical practice. World J Urol 27, 739–745 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-009-0467-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-009-0467-0

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