title: Doppler velocimetry parameters of periurethral vessels in postmenopausal incontinent women receiving estrogen replacement.
abstract: Estrogen deficit causes significant alterations in the lower urinary tract of women, largely affecting urinary continence mechanisms. The urethral vascular bed accounts for about one-third of urethral pressure, and as it undergoes marked hormonal influence we became interested in investigating its behaviour both prior to and during estrogen replacement. We selected 25 postmenopausal patients with urinary stress incontinence and studied the periurethral vessels by means of Doppler velocimetry, analyzing the number of vessels, systolic peak, minimum diastole, resistance and pulsatility indexes and the A/B ratio, prior to estrogen replacement and after 1 and 3 months of hormone use. We concluded that estrogen replacement alone in postmenopausal women with urinary stress incontinence increased the number of periurethral vessels, systolic peak and minimum diastole; however, a trend of no statistical significance towards the reduction of resistance and pulsatility rates of periurethral vessels was found; nor was a significant difference in the A/B ratio shown.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil. mjbcg@globo.com.br
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Girão
authors.forename: Z I
authors.initials: ZI
authors.lastname: Jarmy-Di Bella
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Sartori
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Baracat
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014521:Urethra / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology