The epidemiology of urethral-vesical dysfunction in the female patient.

The specific purposes of this report are twofold: (1) to summarize the descriptive epidemiology of urethral-vesical dysfunction in a population of 1439 female patients referred for urodynamic evaluation of symptoms and (2) to analyze the association between demographic, clinical, and investigative data. On the basis of urodynamic studies, abnormalities were classified into four types: anatomic dysfunction, 60%; neuromuscular dysfunction, 20%; neuropathic dysfunction, 12%; and miscellaneous dysfunction, 8%. Analyses and cross tabulations of clinical data vis-à-vis investigative studies reveal poor correlation between subjective clinical data and urodynamic diagnoses. The clinical symptoms of urethral-vesical dysfunction in the female patient may be confusing and complex. Urodynamic evaluation of symptoms and clinical data is of value in the design of a rational therapeutic program for such patients.