[Urethral calibration in menopausal women examined for vesico-sphincter disorders]

In order to appreciate the consequences of aging on the urethra, two prospective studies assessed its caliber in postmenopausal women. The population included aged women who came to consultation for disorders of the bladder and sphinecters. The clinical checkup, assessing the patient's age, morphology, time elapsed since menopause, local consequences of hormonal deficiency and urinary functional signs, was completed by an urodynamic examination. In the first study (76 patients), the urethra was calibrated using two Peters dilating bougies ranging from Charrière 10 to Charrière 26. In the second study (50 patients), measurements were made with OTIS-type ball dilators ranging from Charrière 9 to Charrière 30. This exploration was made in 126 patients. Urethral caliber was greater than or equal to Charrière 24 in 78% of patients. Only 2.3% of women had urethral "stenosis" with a Charrière score under 18. Contrary to what we were expecting, the urethral caliber does not seem to decrease with age. This unexpected statement and the difficulties of statistical analysis we have encountered lead us to complement our study.