Exercise pad testing in continent exercisers: reproducibility and correlation with voided volume, pyridium staining, and type of exercise.

This study was undertaken to determine normal values for a modified pad test to be used for testing outcomes of studies addressing therapy for exercise incontinence. Fourteen asymptomatic volunteers who were continent by history completed three similar exercise sessions wearing pre-weighed pads after ingesting phenazopyridine hydrochloride (Pyridium, Parke-Davis, Sandy, UT). The mean pad weight gain for all exercise sessions combined was 3.19 +/- 3.16 g (range 0.1-12.4). The mean area of pyridium staining was 2.66 +/- 3.14 mm. Mean volume voided after the exercise sessions was 193 +/- 108 cc (range 10-625). The Kendall coefficient of concordance used to test the interest reliability was 0.96 for pad weight gain, 0.76 for area of stain, and 0.60 for volume voided. All but one of the subjects had at least one spot of pyridium stain on at least one of the three pads. The increase in pad weight attributable to sweat and vaginal moisture is reproducible in a given individual performing the same exercise routine, but due to the large variation between subjects, we were unable to establish a cut-off value separating continence from incontinence. Adding pyridium did not improve the specificity of the test, despite instructing subjects to milk the urethra and blot before applying the pad.