Comparison of Water Filled and Air Charged Urodynamic Pressure Measuring Catheters (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

ABSTRACT

Urodynamics is able to reproduce the patient's lower urinary tract symptoms and to explain patient's bladder problems objectively. Currently, the most commonly used urodynamic manometry catheter is water filled catherters, which is widely recognized due to its economic and healthy advantages. However, air bubbles and patient's activities can affect the quality and speed of signal transduction, interfering the explanation of the pressure results. The air-filled catheters are easy to operate, and the measures are unaffected by air bubbles and patient's activities, which have gradually begun to be used in urodynamic study in some areas. However, there are several differences between them in terms of fluid mechanics principle, zero set and detailed operations which directly and indirectly lead to the different pressure results. The researches on air-filled catheters at home and abroad are still not perfect. This article gave a detailed comparison between them based on the present studies from the following aspects the essential structure, the developing history, the fluid mechanics principle, the zero pressure point setting, the frequency response, the cystometrogram, the urethral pressure profile, the conversion algorithm, and the urinary tract infection after the investigation, etc.