Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Ultrasonography of the Adult Male Urinary Tract for Urinary Functional Testing
Published on: August 14, 2019
Urinary Biomarkers and Response to Treatment in Overactive Bladder (OAB): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Thiago Khouri1, Bruna Matos1, Lukas Salles1
1Department of Urology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Introduction:
Overactive bladder (OAB) is a prevalent symptom-based syndrome lacking objective diagnostic tests. Urinary biomarkers, particularly nerve growth factor (NGF), have emerged as potential non-invasive tool for diagnosis and treatment monitoring.
Objectives:
To systematically review and meta-analyze the association between urinary biomarker with treatment response and symptom score changes in adults with OAB.
Methods:
Prospective clinical studies relating urinary biomarkers to established OAB treatments were identified in eight databases up to May 2024, selected with predefined criteria, assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS), and synthesized as percentage mean changes; meta-analysis was limited to NGF.
Results:
Nine studies carried out NGF data and smaller subsets reported on other biomarkers, showing post-treatment biomarker reductions in both responders and non-responders, with greater decreases and significantly larger symptom score improvements in responders.
Conclusions:
Evidence regarding the usefulness of urinary biomarkers in OAB patients is still heterogeneous and limited. Urinary NGF levels decrease during OAB treatment in accordance with symptoms questionnaires scores improvement suggesting that some urinary biomarkers may serve as a useful tool for monitoring treatment response in patients for whom symptom questionnaires cannot be administered or are considered unreliable, contributing in the differentiation of different disease phenotypes.
Related Concept Videos
Urinary Tract Calculi III: Medical Management
Urodynamic Studies: Uroflowmetry
Urinary Tract Calculi II: Pathophysiology and Clinical Manifestations
Urinary Tract Calculi V: Nursing Management
Urinary Bladder
In males, the bladder is situated in front of the rectum, while in females, it is positioned anterior to the vagina and uterus. The bladder floor contains an inverted triangular area called the trigone, defined by the two ureteric...
Urine Studies I: Urinalysis