Glass half full: Non-invasive bladder biosensors for urinary volume monitoring in the neurogenic pediatric population

Purpose The goal was to elucidate and present the current landscape of bladder biosensor technology for urinary volume monitoring in the management of neurogenic bladder. The need for such technology in managing neurogenic bladder in the pediatric population is discussed, as well as the challenges researchers currently face in advancing individual technologies.Methods A literature review including 43 articles discussing bladder biosensor and related technology for continuous urinary volume monitoring was conducted. Articles ranged from original research studies to systematic reviews.Results Various continuous bladder urine volume monitoring devices have been proposed and evaluated. These devices utilize principles of ultrasound, electrical impedance tomography, near infrared spectroscopy, pressure biosensor implantation, microwave radar, and frequency modulated continuous wave radar. While several studies have shown promise in correlating device measurements to bladder urinary volume changes, ultimately researchers have not been able to surmount the challenges of optimizing configuration of device components and the impacts of dynamic position, posture, body habitus, bladder location, and urine biochemical properties that demonstrate high interpersonal variability.Conclusion The need for developing bladder biosensor technology to provide continuous urine volume monitoring in patients with neurogenic bladder remains great. Transitioning from a time-based clean intermittent catheterization approach to a volume-based approach would possibly improve neurogenic bladder patients' quality of life. While technologies face limitations that have stalled translation to clinical practice, there is potential to build upon past work to address current challenges and meet this ever-pressing need.