Patients' experience with ambulatory urodynamics. A prospective study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess emotional variables in patients who underwent ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (AUM).


METHODS
A total of 33 females and 7 males aged 23-72 years with an overactive bladder who had undergone three consecutive AUM sessions were included in the study on a prospective basis. Patients completed a self-administered questionnaire before and immediately after each procedure. Answers were given using a visual analog scale.


RESULTS
The pre-procedural level of anxiety did not differ significantly with respect to sex, age, education level or income. The degree of bother experienced by patients aged > or = 50 years was higher than for those aged < 50 years: 5 vs 2.5 (p = 0.030). As income increased, the degrees of pain (p = 0.016), bother (p = 0.013) and boredom (p = 0.010) decreased. Other emotional aspects did not differ significantly according to age or income (p > 0.05). Only the subjective bother score influenced the examiner-rated degree of intolerance during AUM (p = 0.007). A total of 34 patients (85.0%) indicated that they would be willing to return for a further session of AUM. The degree of intolerance decreased at the second (p = 0.006) and third (p = 0.049) AUM sessions, whereas other parameters were not significantly different.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results demonstrate that AUM is acceptable and well tolerated by patients with bladder dysfunction.
Oh
Seung-June
SJ
Department of Urology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Son
Hwancheol
H
Jeong
Jeong Yun
JY
Ku
Ja Hyeon
JH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000523:psychology*; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D014563:Urodynamics