The overactive bladder

Real-time prediction of bladder urine leakage using fuzzy inference system and dual Kalman filtering in cats

The use of electrical stimulation devices to manage bladder incontinence relies on the application of continuous inhibitory stimulation. However, continuous stimulation can result in tissue fatigue and increased delivered charge. Here, we employ a real-time algorithm to provide a short-time prediction of urine leakage using the high-resolution power spectrum of the bladder pressure during the presence of non-voiding contractions (NVC) in normal and overactive bladder (OAB) cats. The proposed method is threshold-free and does not require pre-training. The analysis revealed that there is a significant difference between voiding contraction (VC) and NVC pressures as well as band powers (0.5-5 Hz) during both normal and OAB conditions. Also, most of the first leakage points occurred after the maximum VC pressure, while all of them were observed subsequent to the maximum VC spectral power. Kalman-Fuzzy method predicted urine leakage on average 2.2 s and 1.6 s before its occurrence and an average of 2.0 s and 1.1 s after the contraction started with success rates of 94.2% and 100% in normal and OAB cats, respectively. This work presents a promising approach for developing a neuroprosthesis device, with on-demand stimulation to control bladder incontinence.

Signal abnormalities of the bladder wall detected by native T1 mapping in patients with overactive bladder

OBJECT

Native T₁ mapping provides tissue-specific T₁ relaxation times, which can be used to identify structural changes in the various organs. The object of this article was to evaluate the bladder wall of patients with overactive bladder using native T₁ mapping and compare the relaxation times of patients and healthy controls.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Seventeen patients with a diagnosis of overactive bladder and 15 healthy controls were enrolled in this prospective study. All participants underwent pelvic MRI and T₁ maps were acquired. Native T₁ relaxation times were calculated via regions of interest acquired from the anterosuperior wall of the bladder in all participants. Mean T₁ relaxation times of the overactive bladder patients were compared with those of controls.

RESULTS

Overactive bladder patients had statistically significantly higher T₁ relaxation times compared with controls (p = 0.004). In the subgroup analysis, there was no statistically significant difference between males (1113.42 ± 62.4) and females (1176.70 ± 100.9) regarding the T₁ relaxation times (p = 0.165). There were no correlations between age and T₁ relaxation times in patient or control groups (r = 0.057, p = 0.825, and r = 0.052, p = 0.932, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Native T₁ mapping can identify structural changes in the bladder wall of patients with overactive bladder. This technique has a promising role in the diagnosis of patients with suspected overactive bladder.

A survey on the management of overactive bladder by Indonesian urologists

Background: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a clinical syndrome consisting of symptom complex of urgency, with or without incontinence which has significant effects on quality of life and has to be managed properly. The aim of this study was to review the management of OAB by Indonesian urologists.Methods: A self-constructed questionnaires containing diagnostic and treatment options of OAB patients were distributed to Indonesian urologists. This was a cross-sectional study and descriptive analysis method was used to analyze the data.Results: 129 Indonesian urologists participated in this study. Most of them faced more than 20 OAB cases per year with the most common type was OAB without incontinence or dry OAB (57.4%). Most urologists (34.1%) ordered at least three diagnostic tools to determine OAB. They were bladder diary, urinalysis and scoring system. The most used scoring system (48.9%) was the overactive bladder symptoms score (OABSS). Thirty-five point seven percents (35.7%) of urologists used antimuscarinic and behavioral therapy as initial therapy. Solifenacin 5 mg/day was the most common antimuscarinic prescribed as the first line therapy (48%). Most common items commonly evaluated for follow-up: symptoms (96.9%), bladder diary (72.9%); and drug’s side effect (58.1%). When initial therapy had failed, most of the urologists (54.3%) chose to increase the dose of antimuscarinic. None of them chose bladder botulinum toxin injection as their additional therapy.Conclusion: OAB is a frequent disorder which remains a challenge for urologists. The management of patients with OAB by Indonesian urologists has been suitable with the previous studies and guidelines.

Research Findings on Overactive Bladder

Several physiopathologic conditions lead to the manifestation of overactive bladder (OAB). These conditions include ageing, diabetes mellitus, bladder outlet obstruction, spinal cord injury, stroke and brain injury, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, interstitial cystitis, stress and depression. This review has discussed research findings in human and animal studies conducted on the above conditions. Several structural and functional changes under these conditions have not only been observed in the lower urinary tract, but also in the brain and spinal cord. Significant changes were observed in the following areas: neurotransmitters, prostaglandins, nerve growth factor, Rho-kinase, interstitial cells of Cajal, and ion and transient receptor potential channels. Interestingly, alterations in these areas showed great variation in each of the conditions of the OAB, suggesting that the pathophysiology of the OAB might be different in each condition of the disease. It is anticipated that this review will be helpful for further research on new and specific drug development against OAB.

Sex differences in the physiology and pharmacology of the lower urinary tract

Sexual dimorphism is not only noticed in the prevalence of many diseases, but also in multiple physiological functions in the body. This review has summarized findings from published literature on the sex differences of the pathophysiology and pharmacology of the lower urinary tract (LUT) of humans and animals. Sex differences have been found in several key areas of the LUT, such as overactive bladder, expression and function of neurotransmitter receptors in the bladder and urethra, and micturition patterns in humans and animals. It is anticipated that this review will not only evoke renewed interest for further research on the mechanism of sex differences in the pathophysiology of the LUT (especially for overactive bladder), but might also open up the possibilities for gender-based drug development by pharmaceutical industries in order to find separate cures for men and women with diseases of the LUT.