Urodynamic patterns in children with dysfunctional voiding problems.

Simultaneous measurements of the intravesical pressure, electromyographic activity of the anal sphincter and the urinary flow rate in 17 children with dysfunctional voiding problems have shown a variety of unusual patterns, each distinct for the particular child but all with the common denominator of failure to coordinate detrusor and sphincter activity. We postulate that these patterns represent persistence of the transitional phase in the development of micturitional control whereby the child learns to prevent involuntary wetting by forceful contraction of the external urethral sphincter.