OBJECTIVE(S): To present data of standardized ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (AUM) performed in women with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) and to evaluate the relevance of AUM data with clinical findings of the patients.

STUDY DESIGN

Records of women with symptoms of OAB were retrospectively reviewed (n=249). Of women fulfilling the Overactive Bladder Awareness Tool (OAB-V8) with a score ≥8 and the 3-day voiding diary (VD) with a frequency >7/day (n=167), those who underwent urodynamic investigation were selected (n=76). The data of this study were retrieved from the records of Ankara University Cebeci Hospital and based on the AUM findings of single voiding cycle of women with OAB. AUM, which is among the institutionally approved primary urodynamic investigation methods, is performed with LUNA ambulatory monitoring recorder (MMS™) in the clinical setting with a standardized technique, in reproducing lower urinary tract symptoms of women since 2011. The relationship of the urodynamic data with the clinical findings were evaluated.

RESULTS

AUM traces of women (n=76) with OAB revealed 63.1% DO, 64.4% urgency and 77.7% urinary incontinence of which were 14.4% urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), 25% stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and 38.1% mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). OAB patients with DO reported more urinary incontinence episodes/day, nocturia and mixed urinary incontinence in the voiding diary (p<0.04) and had significantly higher irritative symptom bother reflected by the questionnaires (p<0.04). Women with DO were more likely to be postmenopausal (p=0.02) and were found to have more urgency (p<0.001), urgency episodes (p=0.05) and incontinence (urge and mixed) (p<0.001). However, no association was found between the extent of pelvic organ prolapse and the presence of DO.

CONCLUSIONS

AUM performed with a standardized technique during single voiding cycle seems to be a reliable method in reproducing symptoms of women with OAB. It provides both clinically relevant findings and objective documentation of urgency which is the main symptom for OAB. The detection of DO according to the ICS definition were also found to be concordant with urodynamicaly observed urgency and urinary incontinence. Objective and subjective clinical findings of OAB were found to be more severe in women with DO.