Pressure response to rapid dilation of resting urethra in healthy women

Rapid urethral dilations were performed by a balloon mounted on a double-tip transducer catheter for simultaneous measurement of pressure in urethra and bladder. The cross sectional area of the urethra was measured according to the field gradient principle. Pressure and cross sectional area were recorded synchronously. The response of the female urethra to rapid dilation is a typical stress relaxation effect with a pressure peak followed by a pressure decay over a few seconds. The peak pressure response represents the bladder pressure required in producing a corresponding urethral dilation by the ingression of urine. The increase in pressure response was statistically significant by increasing rate as well as size of dilation. The method enables experimental simulation of stress urinary incontinence in vivo which may bring further insight into the physiology of the urethral closure function and the pathophysiology of stress incontinence. For comparative studies rapid dilation should be performed under standardized circumstances.