Should we routinely assess psychological morbidities in idiopathic lower urinary tract dysfunction: ICI-RS 2019?

Can we predict and manage persistent storage and voiding LUTS following bladder outflow resistance reduction surgery in men? ICI-RS 2023

AIMS

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) persist in up to 50% of patients after bladder outflow resistance reduction surgery (BORRS) in men. Our think tank aims to address the predictive factors for persistent LUTS after BORRS and to propose the recommendations for future research to enable improved better patient counseling and selection by more accurate prediction of treatment outcome.

METHODS

A think tank of ICI-RS gathered in 2023, Bristol, UK, to discuss the pre and postsurgical clinical and urodynamic evaluation of men undergoing BORRS and whether it is possible to predict which men will have persistent LUTS after BORRS.

RESULTS

Our think tank agrees that due to the multifactorial, and still not fully understood, etiology of male LUTS it is not possible to precisely predict in many men who will have persistent LUTS after BORRS. However, severe storage symptoms (overactive bladder, OAB) in association with low volume and high amplitude detrusor overactivity and low bladder capacity in preoperative urodynamics, increase the likelihood of persistent OAB/storage symptoms after BORRS. Furthermore, patients who are clearly obstructed and have good bladder contractility on preoperative pressure flow studies do better postoperatively compared to their counterparts. However, the benefit of pressure flow studies is decreased in patients who do not acceptably void during the study. Poor voiding after BORRS may occur due to persistent obstruction or detrusor underactivity.

CONCLUSION

Future research is needed to increase our understanding of why male LUTS persist after surgery, and to enable better patient selection and more precise patient counseling before BORRS.

Psychiatric History and Overactive Bladder Symptom Severity in Ambulatory Urogynecological Patients

Introduction and hypothesis: A link between psychiatric comorbidities and overactive bladder symptomatology has been suggested by preclinical and clinical studies. Given this, we hypothesized that a psychiatric history and current treatment with psychotropic medications could be related to the severity of overactive bladder and incontinence symptoms in patients referred to a tertiary care urogynecological center. Methods: One hundred and twenty-seven female patients diagnosed with an overactive bladder were screened for a lifetime history of psychiatric disorders and the type and number of psychotropic medications currently taken. The overall severity of overactive bladder symptoms was assessed using the Indevus Urgency Severity Scale. The severity and impact of urinary incontinence on the quality of life were quantified with the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form. Urinary incontinence was further quantified with the aid of the Urinary Distress Inventory-6. The patients were screened for stress urinary incontinence using the Stamey Incontinence Score. Results: A psychiatric history, as well as current use of at least two psychotropic medications, was associated with increased severity of overactive bladder symptoms. A history of depression and current treatment with any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor was associated with increased severity of stress urinary incontinence symptoms. Current treatment with other psychotropic medications, including sedative-hypnotics and drugs with anticholinergic properties was not related to the severity of overactive bladder and incontinence symptoms.