RESUMO
PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the diagnostic availability of transperineal ultrasongraphy compared with chain cystourethrography for patients with stress urinary incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Twenty-seven outpatient women with stress urinary incontinence, who underwent both transperineal ultrasonography and chain cystourethrography for the last ten months, participated in this study. The mean age was 47 years(range 37 to 66 years). The posterior urethrovesical angle(PUVA) at lest and during strain, and both an increment of PUVA and bladder neck descent during strain were measured in the two methods, respectively. Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks test was used for the comparative analysis of the results. RESULTS: The mean of PUVAS at rest and during strain were 118.9 degrees and 142.3 degrees, respectively, and the mean of the increment of PUVAS during strain was 23.5 degreesin transperineal ultrasonography. The mean of PUVAS at rest and during strain were 130.7 degrees and 158,0 degrees, respectively, and the mean of the increment of PUVAS during strain was 27.3 in chain cystourethrography. There were statistically significant differences in PUVAS, but no significant differences in the increment of PUVAS during strain between the two methods. During strain condition, the mean descent of bladder neck was 11.8mm in transperineal ultrasonography and 13.7mm in chain cystourethrography, and there were no significant differences between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with chain cystourethrography, the transperineal ultrasonography made no significant differences in the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence using both the increment of PUVAS and the bladder neck descent caused by the increase of abdominal pressure during strain. In addition, the transperineal ultrasonography is considered to be replaceable for chain cystourethrography, as that is noninvasive, devoid of risks of irradiation, and removes the noticeable discomfort or embarrassment for the patient in the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence.