Perineal pad weighing versus videographic analysis in genuine stress incontinence

A comparison was made of the sensitivity of perineal pad testing and the videographic diagnosis of genuine stress incontinence (GSI) in postmenopausal women. The 99% upper confidence limit for pad weight gains in 90 normal women was 1.4 g. Ninety-nine women with urodynamically proven GSI were studied and 14 had false negative pad tests. There was no significant correlation between the videographic assessment and the gain in pad weight. We recommend the use of the pad test to confirm incontinence only in the absence of imaging facilities as the latter is more sensitive.