Analysis of the pattern of urine loss in women with incontinence as measured by weighing perineal pads.

Three hundred and thirty-five women with urinary incontinence underwent a pad-weighing test for quantifying urine loss. Each one wore a series of pre-weighed sanitary towels for a total of 1 h. The pads were weighed again after use. The test results gave information about the severity of the incontinence which was not easy to obtain either from patient interview or from clinical examination. The type of activity was the main factor determining urine loss, although patients with detrusor instability lost more on average than the others. Voiding during the test period did not appear to influence the overall test results. Reproducibility of the test has been studied in 50 patients.