Bladder neck electrical conductivity in female urinary urgency and urge incontinence

Thirty-nine consecutive women, referred because of lower urinary tract symptoms of stress incontinence, urgency and urge incontinence, were interviewed and their symptoms were graded using a standardized questionnaire. They were investigated with conventional, fast-fill cystometry and with a new bladder neck electrical conductivity (BNEC) test which measures bladder neck activity. A highly significant correlation between the symptoms of urgency and urge incontinence and the maximum amplitude of bladder neck activity was found with the new test. The correlation of the maximum deflection at rest with the symptom of urgency was significantly better than the best correlation found with the cystometric measurements. The values for sensitivity and specificity of cystometry for the detection of an abnormality associated with urgency were 58% and 92% respectively, and the corresponding values for a positive BNEC test (as defined by a maximum deflection at rest greater than 13 microA) were 100% and 77%.