Free uroflowmetry versus "Do-It-Yourself" uroflowmetry in the assessment of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms.
BACKGROUND
We investigated the possibility that patients could carry out a urine flow assessment at home by themselves, in comfort, without expense and without the use of equipment. We compared this strategy of "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY) uroflowmetry with traditional, hospital uroflowmetry.


METHODS
One hundred and twenty patients were enrolled. The patients underwent conventional, free uroflowmetry in hospital. Subsequently, the patients were asked to carry out the following procedure at home: urinate into a graduated container to quantify the total voided volume and determine the flow time by measuring the duration of miction with a stopwatch or simply with the second hand of a clock. This procedure had to be performed three times without preparation.


RESULTS
Hundred patients completed the study. The mean age of the patients analysed was 64.12 years. Their free uroflowmetry values were as follows: the mean voiding time was 44.28 s, the mean voided volume was 290.92 ml, the mean Qmax was 15.17 ml/s, the mean Qmean was 7.87 ml/s, and the mean post-void residual volume was 78.44 ml. The mean Qmean measured by the "DIY-uroflowmetry" was 8.33 ml/s, which was not statistically significantly different (P = 0.12). Assuming that pathological hospital uroflowmetry values are equivalent to a DIY-Qmean ≤10 ml/s and that normal hospital values are equivalent to a DIY-Qmean >10 ml/s, the concordance was 100 %.


CONCLUSIONS
Our proposed DIY evaluation of urine flow, together with the International Prostatic Symptom Score (IPSS), provides a good estimate of the results of free uroflowmetry, enabling unnecessary hospital investigations to be avoided.
Urology Department, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, University of Milan, Via Morandi 30, 20097, San Donato Milanese, Milan, Italy.
Gabriella
G
Mombelli
Stefano
S
Picozzi
Giovanni
G
Messina
Dario
D
Truffelli
Carlo
C
Marenghi
Gabriele
G
Maffi
Luca
L
Carmignani
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D045268:Flowmeters; D006801:Humans; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012212:Rheology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012648:Self Care / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014554:Urination / Q000502:physiology; D014563:Urodynamics / Q000502:physiology