title: High definition urethral pressure profilometry: Evaluating a novel microtip catheter.
abstract: Urethral pressure profilometry (UPP) is used in the diagnosis of stress urinary incontinence (SUI). SUI is a significant medical, social, and economic problem, affecting about 12.5% of the population. A novel microtip catheter was developed for UPP featuring an inclination sensor and higher angular resolution compared to systems in clinical use today. Therewith, the location of each measured pressure sample can be determined and the spatial pressure distribution inside the urethra reconstructed. In order to assess the performance and plausibility of data from the microtip catheter, we compare it to data from a double balloon air charged system.
  
  
  
  Both catheters are used on sedated female minipigs. Data from the microtip catheter are processed through a signal reconstruction algorithm, plotted and compared against data from the air-charged catheter.
  
  
  
  The microtip catheter delivers results in agreement with previous comparisons of microtip and air-charged systems. It additionally provides a new level of detail in the reconstructed UPPs which may lead to new insights into the sphincter mechanism of minipigs.
  
  
  
  The ability of air-charged catheters to measure pressure circumferentially is widely considered a main advantage over microtip catheters. However, directional pressure readings can provide additional information on angular fluctuations in the urethral pressure distribution. It is shown that the novel microtip catheter in combination with a signal reconstruction algorithm delivers plausible data. It offers the opportunity to evaluate urethral structures, especially the sphincter, in context of the correct location within the anatomical location of the pelvic floor. Neurourol. Urodynam. 35:888-894, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Institute for System Dynamics, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany. mario.kluender@isys.uni-stuttgart.de.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Klünder
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Bastian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Amend
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vaegler
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kelp
authors.affiliation: Institute for System Dynamics, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Ronny
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Feuer
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Karl-Dietrich
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Sievert
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Arnulf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stenzl
authors.affiliation: Institute for System Dynamics, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sawodny
authors.affiliation: Institute for System Dynamics, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ederer
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000818:Animals; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D011312:Pressure; D013552:Swine; D013556:Swine, Miniature; D014521:Urethra; D062885:Urinary Catheters; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014563:Urodynamics
keywords: digital signal processing; urethral pressure; urinary catheters; urodynamics