Urodynamic investigations for management of urinary incontinence in adults.
BACKGROUND
Urodynamic tests are used to investigate people who have urinary incontinence or other urinary symptoms in order to make a definitive objective diagnosis. The aim is to help to select the treatment most likely to be successful. The investigations are invasive and time consuming.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this review was to discover if treatment according to a urodynamic-based diagnosis led to clinical improvements in urinary incontinence, compared to treatment based on history and examination.


METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Incontinence Group trials register. Date of the most recent search: April 2002.


METHODS
Randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing clinical outcomes in groups of people who were and were not investigated using urodynamics, or comparing one type of urodynamics against another.


METHODS
Two reviewers independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. Authors of one study were contacted for more information, including adverse effects.


RESULTS
Two small trials involving 128 women were included. In one small trial, women who were investigated with urodynamics were more likely to receive active treatment with drugs or surgery. However, the numbers in both trials were too small to determine if this affected clinical outcomes such as a reduction in incontinence.


CONCLUSIONS
A larger definitive trial is needed, in which people are randomly allocated to management according to urodynamic findings or to standard management based on history and clinical examination.
Health Services Research Unit (Foresterhill Lea), University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, AB25 2ZD. c.glazener@abdn.ac.uk
C M
CM
Glazener
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MC
Lapitan
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D014563:Urodynamics