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Ultrasonography of the Adult Male Urinary Tract for Urinary Functional Testing
Published on: August 14, 2019
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Validation of the lower urinary tract symptom score
Jerry G Blaivas1, Johnson F Tsui, Gabriel Mekel
1Weill Cornell College of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
The Canadian Journal of Urology
|October 4, 2015
Summary
A new 14-question Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (LUTSS) effectively measures symptom severity and treatment outcomes in adults. This validated tool demonstrates strong reliability and responsiveness for assessing lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Clinical Assessment
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
Background:
- Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) significantly impact quality of life.
- A validated tool is needed to accurately assess LUTS severity and treatment efficacy.
- Existing measures may lack comprehensiveness or specific validation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (LUTSS).
- To establish LUTSS as a reliable measure of LUTS severity.
- To utilize LUTSS as a tool for assessing treatment outcomes in adults.
Main Methods:
- An expert panel developed the LUTSS questionnaire.
- Content validity was established through subject and expert feedback.
- Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, discriminant, criterion validity, and responsiveness were assessed in 191 adult participants.
Main Results:
- The 14-question LUTSS demonstrated strong test-retest reliability (ICC=0.96) and internal consistency (Cronbach's-α=0.77).
- Significant differences between normal, LUTS, and overactive bladder (OAB) groups confirmed discriminant validity (p < 0.001).
- The score showed responsiveness to change, correlating with symptomatic improvement.
Conclusions:
- The 14-question LUTSS is a validated instrument for assessing a comprehensive range of LUTS in both men and women.
- Its ordinal scale and specific symptom descriptions make it suitable as a nuanced symptom score.
- LUTSS serves as an effective patient-reported outcome (PRO) tool for clinical practice and research.
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