Urethral pressure profile in children: a comparison between perfused catheters and micro-transducers, and a study of the usefulness of urethral pressure profile measurements in children.

Urethral pressure profiles were done on 46 children by the classical open-end perfused catheter and by a micro-transducer mounted on the tip of a catheter. A comparative study of the results obtained using the 2 methods demonstrates clearly the superiority of the micro-transducer over the perfused catheter. There are so many limitations of precison with the perfused catheter method that its usefulness for clinical studies seems questionable. With both methods the urethral pressure profile alone was not sufficient for distinguishing betweeen obstructed and non-obstructed bladder outlets.