X-ray videocystometry for high-speed monitoring of urinary tract function in mice

Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTd) represents a major health care problem with a high, unmet medical need. Design of additional therapies for LUTd requires precise tools to study bladder storage and voiding (dys)function in animal models. We developed videocystometry in mice, combining intravesical pressure measurements with high-speed fluoroscopy of the urinary tract. Videocystometry substantially outperforms current state-of-the-art methods to monitor the urine storage and voiding process, by enabling quantitative analysis of voiding efficiency, urethral flow, vesicoureteral reflux, and the relation between intravesical pressure and flow, in both anesthetized and awake, nonrestrained mice. Using videocystometry, we identified localized bladder wall micromotions correlated with different states of the filling/voiding cycle, revealed an acute effect of TRPV1 channel activation on voiding efficiency, and pinpointed the effects of urethane anesthesia on urine storage and urethral flow. Videocystometry has broad applications, ranging from the elucidation of molecular mechanisms of bladder control to drug development for LUTd.