THE ROLE OF BLADDER WALL THICKNESS IN THE EVALUATION OF DETRUSOR UNDERACTIVITY: DEVELOPMENT OF A CLINICAL NOMOGRAM

AIMS: The aim of our study was to investigate noninvasive predictors for detrusor underactivity (DUA) in male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). METHODS: A consecutive series of patients aged 45 years or older with non-neurogenic LUTS were prospectively enrolled. Patients underwent standard diagnostic assessment including International Prostatic Symptoms Score, uroflowmetry, urodynamic studies (cystometry and pressure-flow studies), transrectal ultrasound of the prostate, and ultrasound measurements of the bladder wall thickness (BWT). Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate predictors of DUA, defined as a bladder contractility index .05) and a net benefit in the range of probabilities between 10% and 80%. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, BWT and Qmax can noninvasively predict the presence of DUA in patients with LUTS and BPE. Although our study should be confirmed in a larger prospective cohort, we present the first available nomogram for the prediction of DUA in patients with LUTS.