Continuous Monitoring of Bladder Dysfunction in People With Multiple Sclerosis: Wearables for the Bladder.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Urology

Background:

• Over 85% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) experience bladder dysfunction.
• Current assessment methods are limited, failing to capture real-world symptom fluctuations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and validity of a novel remote bladder ultrasound device for home monitoring of bladder dysfunction in PwMS.
• To compare remote measurements with standard clinical assessments.

Main Methods:

• A 3-month pilot study involving 22 women with MS using a wearable ultrasound device at home.
• Comparison of remote post-void residual (rPVR) and urinary frequency (rFrequency) with clinical data (cPVR, 3-day bladder diary).
• Agreement assessed using Bland-Altman analyses and correlation coefficients.

Main Results:

• High study retention (86.4%) and device utilization (14.1 days).
• Good agreement between remote and clinical post-void residual measurements.
• Strong correlation between remote and patient-reported urinary frequency (ICC=0.81, r=0.793).
• Remote monitoring revealed significant day-to-day symptom variability.

Conclusions:

• Wearable ultrasound technology is feasible and preliminarily valid for remote monitoring of bladder dysfunction in PwMS.
• Capturing real-world symptom variations can transform assessment and management.
• Enables more personalized and responsive care strategies for MS patients.