Imaging for urinary incontinence: a contemporary perspective

To highlight the current role of the imaging techniques in urinary incontinence.

The text for the Third International Consultation of Incontinence, published in 2005, provides major insights into all the imaging techniques. In addition, the most important findings regarded imaging technique in the patients surgically treated for stress urinary incontinence. An article from Singapore suggested that about one-third of patients with tension-free vaginal tape had the tape in the proximal or distal one-third of the urethra, without jeopardizing tape's clinical efficacy. This finding would tend to indicate that the support of the midurethra, as suggested by the integral theory of incontinence, might not be mandatory. Another interesting article demonstrated by ultrasonography, a surprisingly high rate of collagen retention in patients who had undergone collagen injection for stress urinary incontinence due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency.

Most of the articles published underscored the role of ultrasonography and/or magnetic resonance imaging in assessing the patients with urinary incontinence. The purpose of the imaging is to investigate the correlations between morphology and function of both the bladder and the urethra, and detect concomitant defects in the pelvic floor. Definitive studies comparing the different diagnostic options, as well as their impact on patient management and outcome are still lacking.