Prostatism. I. The correlation between symptoms, cystometric and urodynamic findings.

One hundred and seven consecutive patients referred with symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction were studied using cystometry and combined pressure-flow-electromyographic investigation. The symptoms of infravesical obstruction were not statistically significantly correlated to the hydrodynamic documentation of increased bladder outlet resistance as judged by maximum flow rate and the calculated urethral resistance. Irritative symptoms such as frequency, nocturia, urgency and urgeincontinence were statistically significantly correlated to the presence of detrusor hyperreflexia. The functional disorder bladder neck dyssynergia was encounterd in 5% of the patients (95% confidence limits 1-10%). This diagnosis cannot be made by conventional urological investigations. It is concluded that objective demonstration of infravesical obstruction is mandatory in the selection of patients with symptoms of lower urinary tract dysfunction for surgery on the prostate or the bladder neck.