The role of urodynamic assessment in the diagnosis of lower urinary tract disorders.

The relationship between clinical symptomatology and urodynamic findings was studied prospectively in 1000 unselected women with symptoms of lower urinary tract dysfunction. Women in the study were subjected to both clinical and multichannel urodynamic assessment. The symptom of stress incontinence was confirmed by urodynamic assessment to be associated with genuine stress incontinence (95%). However, it was also associated with sensory urgency (96%) and detrusor instability (64%). Other lower urinary tract symptoms were associated with a range of abnormal urodynamic findings. It was concluded that urodynamic assessment provided useful information in women with lower urinary tract disorders, in developing principles of diagnosis and management.