title: Urodynamic characterization of lower urinary tract symptoms in women less than 40 years of age.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in young women is becoming a more recognized urologic issue that can arise from many causes, each with their own management strategy. The purpose of this study was to determine the rates of various etiologies for LUTS in women under 40 years of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Video urodynamic studies (VUDS) were performed in 70 women age 40 years or less with LUTS for greater than 6 months between March 2005 and June 2012 at Weill Cornell Medical College. Patients with culture-proven bacterial urinary tract infections, pelvic organ prolapse greater than grade I, symptoms for less than 6 months, a history of neurologic disease, or previous urological surgery affecting voiding function, were excluded from the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the patients was 31.95 ± 5.57. There were 48 patients that presented with more than one urinary symptom (68.57%). The most frequent complaints included: urinary frequency (n = 42, 34.15%), incontinence (n = 26, 21.14%), and urinary urgency (n = 22, 17.89%). The most common urodynamic abnormality was dysfunctional voiding (n = 25, 28.74%), detrusor overactivity (n = 15, 20.00%), bladder outlet obstruction (n = 8, 11.43%). There were no significant differences seen in complaints or AUA symptom and quality of life scores across diagnosis groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Persistent LUTS can present in younger women with an unclear etiology, which may be characterized using VUDS. The most common etiology found is dysfunctional voiding followed by detrusor overactivity. This study shows that the etiology can be more accurately determined using VUDs, which can assist in management.
authors.affiliation: Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Asha E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Jamzadeh
authors.forename: Donghua
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Melissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Laudano
authors.forename: Dean S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Elterman
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Seklehner
authors.forename: Lucien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shtromvaser
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Steven A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Alexis E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Te
authors.forename: Renuka
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tyagi
authors.forename: Bilal
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chughtai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D059411:Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001748:Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D053201:Urinary Bladder, Overactive / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014554:Urination; D014555:Urination Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014563:Urodynamics; D014741:Video Recording