title: Reliability of the patient's history in the diagnosis of urinary incontinence.
abstract: The reliability of a patient's history has been challenged in the preoperative evaluation of stress urinary incontinence. In this study, 122 consecutive patients referred to our Gynecology/Urology clinic were evaluated and an additional 32 control patients (continent women with no urinary symptoms) were evaluated. All patients answered a detailed 64-item questionnaire, and all patients received a complete urodynamic evaluation. Our detailed questionnaire provided a mean positive predictive value of 80% for genuine stress incontinence and 25% for detrusor instability. The conditions leading to a false positive history suggestive of genuine stress incontinence were detrusor instability and urethral diverticulum. The conditions leading to a false positive history suggestive of detrusor instability were urethritis, unstable urethra, vaginitis and polyuria. History alone can be misleading in diagnosing urinary incontinence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USC School of Medicine, Women's Hospital, Los Angeles 90033.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bader
mesh_terms: D003558:Cystoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010298:Parity; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014563:Urodynamics