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Published on: November 3, 2016
Measurement of urinary flow rate using ultrasound in young boys and infants
K P Wolffenbuttel1, D J Kok, R van Mastrigt
1Department of Pediatric Urology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Ultrasound effectively measures urinary flow rates in young boys and infants, offering accurate results even for small voided volumes. This non-invasive technique provides reliable data where traditional methods may underperform.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Urology
- Medical Imaging
- Diagnostic Techniques
Background:
- Accurate measurement of urinary flow rate is crucial for diagnosing bladder dysfunction in children.
- Traditional methods like the rotating disk method can be inaccurate, especially in infants and non-toilet-trained boys.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of ultrasound technology for measuring urinary flow rates in male infants and children.
- To compare ultrasound measurements with a standard rotating disk method.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous measurement of urinary flow rate using an ultrasound probe and a rotating disk method in 30 boys and 8 infants.
- Voided volume measured by graded cylinder or diaper weight change.
- Calibration of ultrasound signal against collected voided volume.
Main Results:
- Ultrasound and rotating disk methods produced similar flow curves.
- Ultrasound maximum flow rate was significantly higher than the rotating disk method (13 vs. 10 ml/s).
- The rotating disk method underestimated flow rate and voided volume by up to 50% in some cases.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound provides accurate urinary flow rate measurements in male infants and boys, including those with small voided volumes or not toilet-trained.
- Ultrasound is a promising tool for assessing bladder function in pediatric populations.
- Future research will focus on applying ultrasound to male infants with bladder dysfunction.
Purpose:
We present a technique for measuring urinary flow rates with ultrasound in male infants and children.
Materials And Methods:
Urinary flow rate was measured simultaneously by an ultrasound probe placed around the base of the penis and by a funnel with a rotating disk at the bottom in 30 boys with a mean age of 6.7 years (range 4.5 to 10.5), and by ultrasound in 8 infants with a mean age of 10 months (range 1 to 28). Voided volume was measured with a graded cylinder or calculated from the weight change of diapers in infants. Ultrasound and rotating disk maximum flow rates were calculated. The ultrasound signal was calibrated by comparing the collected voided volume to the area under the curve for that void. The volume calculated from the rotating disk flow rate curve was also compared with the collected volume.
Results:
Both methods yielded similar flow curves. However, ultrasound maximum flow rate significantly exceeded rotating disk maximum flow rate (13 +/- 6 ml. per second, range 5 to 22 versus 10 +/- 4 ml. per second, range 4 to 21, t test p <0.001). The underestimation of the flow rate by the rotating disk method may have been due to adherence of urine to the funnel wall. Rotating disk maximum flow rate was lower and voided volume was underestimated by up to 50% (average 15 +/- 2%) in 21 cases. Ultrasound maximum flow rate averaged 6 +/- 3 ml. per second (range 3 to 11.6 [oldest infant]) in the 8 infants.
Conclusions:
Urinary flow rates can be measured accurately using ultrasound in boys who produce small volumes and/or who are not toilet trained and also in infants. In future studies ultrasound will be applied to subsets of male infants with bladder dysfunction.
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