Advances in Assistive Electronic Device Solutions for Urology

Underactive Bladder and Detrusor Underactivity: New Advances and Prospectives

Underactive bladder (UAB) is a prevalent but under-researched lower urinary tract symptom that typically occurs alongside detrusor underactivity (DU). Unlike UAB, DU is a urodynamic diagnosis which the International Continence Society (ICS) defines as "a contraction of reduced strength and/or duration, resulting in prolonged bladder emptying and/or a failure to achieve complete bladder emptying within a normal time span". Despite the widespread prevalence of UAB/DU, there are significant gaps in our understanding of its pathophysiological mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment compared with overactive bladder (OAB) and detrusor overactivity (DO). These gaps are such that clinicians regard UAB/DU as an incurable condition. In recent years, the understanding of UAB has increased. The definition of UAB has been clarified, and the diagnostic criteria for DU have been considered more comprehensively. Meanwhile, a number of non-invasive diagnostic methods have also been reported. Clinical trials involving novel drugs, electrical stimulation, and stem cell therapy have shown promising results. Therefore, this review summarizes recent reports on UAB and DU and highlights the latest advances in their diagnosis and treatment.

A Comparative Study of Solifenacin, Mirabegron, and Their Combination as Bladder Relaxants in the Management of Overactive Bladder

Introduction  Overactive bladder (OAB) is a medical state that presents as the urgency of urine and increased frequency of micturition and is diagnosed on the basis of the presence of these symptoms in the absence of other explainable diagnoses. The management of this condition includes conservative management, medical management/pharmacotherapy, and surgical management. The overactive bladder has been treated with smooth muscle relaxants, but there are conflicting results. Hence, this study aimed to assess the result of the two smooth muscle relaxants, mirabegron and solifenacin, and their combination to manage an overactive bladder. Methodology  A clinical trial was conducted at Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital, Motilal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, India, over the period from November 2019 to December 2020. Ninety patients with OAB were divided into three groups: G1, G2, and G3. These groups were administered solifenacin, mirabegron, and a combination of mirabegron and solifenacin (S+M), respectively. Follow-ups were conducted at 2, 4, 12, and 18 weeks for evaluation. Data were entered into IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). Appropriate statistical tests, including the chi-square and ANOVA, were employed in this study. Observation  The combination of mirabegron and solifenacin was significantly more effective in terms of response compared to solifenacin alone. There was no significant difference between solifenacin versus mirabegron, or between mirabegron (M) and the combination of mirabegron (M) and solifenacin (S). Side effects were more severe in patients taking high doses of solifenacin. Conclusion  The S + M combination has higher efficacy than solifenacin and mirabegron when given alone.