[Spatial urethral rest pressure and stress pressure profile in women with stress incontinence. Doppler...

The functional urethral length (FUL), the maximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP), and the urethro vesical quotient (u/v) have been measured in 32 women suffering from urinary stress incontinence. The pressure was registrated in four different sectors of the urethra (left, posterior, right, anterior). We found statistical significant differences (t-Test, Wilcoxon-Test). The average FUL at the anterior urethral wall was 27.5 mm, at the posterior wall 30.2 mm. Concerning the UVDR and the u/v-quotient we found higher values at the ventral wall than at the posterior and lateral sides (9.79 kPa and 6.87 kPa and 1.63 and 1.14 resp.). Because of spatial different results of pressure distribution along the urethra walls the microtransducer had to be marked to enable the investigator to localize the direction of the pressure chip during registration. The pressure profile should be registrated only at the dorsal or dorsolateral parts of the urethra. Measurements at the anterior walls of the urethra showed no correlation between history, clinical tests, and urodynamic measurements. By reason of the submitted results we developed a new 5-channel microtransducer for simultane measurements of the urethra pressure profile at rest and at stress in four directions and we proved it in patients with and without urinary stress incontinence. New aspects are visible concerning the functional and morphological states of the urethra by use of the spatial urethral pressure profile.