Use of stresscath for diagnosing stress incontinence.

The modified fluid bridge (flow) test (MFBT) is a simple procedure for detecting bladder neck incompetency using a fluid-filled catheter. The Stresscath (Hollister) female diagnostic catheter is an improved version of the MFBT. We evaluated the ability of the Stresscath to detect bladder neck incompetence in the first 66 female patients referred for urodynamics. The absence or presence of stress incontinence was based on the results from history and physical examinations. The results from the Stresscath correlated with the history showed that the Stresscath had a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.88 in determining stress incontinence due to bladder neck incompetency. The results from the Stresscath correlated with the physical examination (Marshall test) showed that the Stresscath had a sensitivity of 0.86 and a specificity of 0.87 in determining stress incontinence due to bladder neck incompetence. The Stresscath was at least as accurate as the urethral pressure profile in the diagnosis of stress incontinence, at less capital cost.