[Value of a clinical test for the assessment of bladder and sphincter function in the management of urinary disorders in the aged].

The authors report about the merits of a clinical test for the evaluation of bladder and sphincter function in the analysis of urinary disorders in the aged. This simple and inexpensive bedside test has been carried out in 175 subjects whose mean age was 81.2 years, and the majority of whom (66.2%) presented with urinary incontinence; 80% of the patients came from longterm-care geriatric departments. The most frequent mechanism is bladder instability (41% of all patients). The cystomanometric data obtained in 80 subjects were analysed and retrospectively compared to the test data: they showed good correlation for the study of vesical stability. From the viewpoint of general health care, this test is a real diagnostic tool for the practitioners, in particular in geriatric departments without further specialised exploration commodities.