Air-charged and microtransducer urodynamic catheters in the evaluation of urethral function.

This study aimed to compare measurements of urethral pressure profile and Valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP) obtained with air-charged and microtransducer catheters. Forty-five women with urogynecologic dysfunction underwent multichannel urodynamic evaluation including maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP), functional urethral length (FUL), and VLPP with air-charged balloon catheters as well as microtransducer catheters. Lin's concordance coefficient was used to examine the agreement of MUCP, VLPP, and FUL measurements with the two catheters. The MUCPs measured with the two catheters had a high concordance coefficient of 0.69 (95% CI 0.50, 0.82). The VLPP measurements obtained with the catheters also agreed well, with a concordance coefficient of 0.71 (95% CI 0.43, 0.87). The measurements of mean FUL had a low concordance of 0.35 (95% CI 0.085, 0.57). Overall, air-charged and microtransducer catheters yield similar information when evaluating VLPP and MUCP. There were differences in FUL and these were likely due to different catheter diameters.

Initial experience with a new method for the dynamic assessment of pelvic floor function in women: the Kolpexin Pull Test.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a newly developed, simple test for assessing pelvic floor muscular function in women. Pelvic floor strength in women with symptomatic pelvic floor dysfunction was evaluated with a newly developed assessment tool, the Kolpexin Pull Test, and compared to a clinically validated digital pelvic floor strength assessment scale (DPA). A 36-mm Kolpexin sphere was inserted into the vagina above the levator plate and connected to a digital tensiometer/force gauge. The force required to remove the sphere was recorded for three resting trials and three maximum pelvic floor contractions. Results of the DPA and Kolpexin Pull Test were analyzed using ANOVAs of contrast variables, intraclass correlations, and regression analyses. Twenty-one women participated in the study. Age range was 36-85 years, parity range was 2-5. All six trials required less than 5 min to perform in each patient. Intraperson maximum contraction data were correlated at 0.96 (95% CI: 0.91, 0.98), and were greater at higher DPA scores ( p=0.016). There were positive correlations between the maximum contraction and DPA data (adjusted R(2)=0.52; p <0.001), and the maximum contraction minus resting vs DPA data (adjusted R(2)=0.54; p< 0.001). The Kolpexin Pull Test is reproducible, rapid, and correlates with digital clinical assessment of pelvic floor strength during maximal contractions.