ABSTRACT
Assessment of children with daytime wetting starts with the distinction between 'enuresis diurna' and 'functional incontinence', incontinence being defined as any form of wetting caused by bladder/sphincter dysfunction. Standard history-taking does not allow for a sharp enough distinction: pertinent questions have to be asked about daytime wetting, night-time wetting, micturition, and about urge and reactions to urge. By using urodynamics to expose the pathophysiology behind the patterns of bladder/sphincter dysfunction, these questions were formulated and validated in a series of 156 children, referred with persistent daytime wetting to a programme for cognitive bladder training. With history-taking organized into a simple questionnaire, complemented by urodynamics, four patterns of bladder/sphincter dysfunction emerged: urge syndrome, staccato voiding, fractionated and incomplete voiding, and lazy bladder syndrome. A strong correlation was found between recurrent urinary tract infections and non-neuropathic bladder/sphincter dysfunction, implying that detection and treatment of bladder/sphincter dysfunction is essential in every child with recurrent urinary tract infections, especially in the presence of vesico-ureteral reflux.