Urinary incontinence in girls

Girls with incontinence may have minor irritative conditions or undiagnosed anatomic abnormalities that may require surgery. These abnormalities can be identified during a comprehensive history and physical examination that focuses on voiding signs and symptoms. Urinary tract infection and constipation if present should be identified. Most girls with daytime wetting will respond to conservative therapy using timed voiding, dietary changes, and anticholinergic medication. Uroflowmetry with a postvoid residual urine measurement can identify girls who may benefit from biofeedback to treat pelvic floor dysfunction. Formal urodynamics and spinal magnetic resonance imaging should be done in girls refractory to treatment. Instruments and tools to quantify dysfunctional voiding symptoms are being developed. Because most dysfunctional voiding will be treated clinically, these validated tools will be useful in documenting severity of symptoms and clinical outcomes.