title: Urethral closure pressure and leak-point pressure in incontinent women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between maximum urethral closure pressure and Valsalva leak-point pressure in women with genuine stress incontinence (GSI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six women with GSI were evaluated in a urodynamics laboratory. Maximum urethral closure pressure and vesical leak-point pressure were measured with multichannel urodynamic testing. The correlation coefficient and regression line were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty subjects demonstrated a leak on Valsalva maneuver and, in these women, maximum urethral closure pressure and leak-point pressures were related significantly (r = 0.62, P < .001). The relationship was strongest between leak-point pressure up to 120 cm H2O and absolute vesical pressure with Valsalva rather than with a change in vesical pressure. The sensitivity of leak-point pressure for predicting low urethral pressure was 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a correlation between maximum urethral closure pressure and leak-point pressure that can provide useful information about incontinence in women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Sultana
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011312:Pressure; D014521:Urethra / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014563:Urodynamics; D014636:Valsalva Maneuver