Can the sensory threshold toward electrical stimulation be used to quantify the subjective perception of bladder filling? A study in young healthy volunteers

Objectives. To evaluate whether electrosensation can be used as a quantitative measurement for the sensations felt during bladder distension. Methods. A total of 48 healthy volunteers were examined. Sensations of bladder distension were evaluated during medium-fill cystometry. Electrosensation was quantified by obtaining electrical thresholds at different sites in the lower urinary tract with constant current stimulation at 2.5 and 95 Hz. Results. Both currents were perceived differently. Thresholds at 95 Hz were significantly higher than at 2.5 Hz for each location. With neither current could a significant correlation be found between the parameters of filling perception and electrosensation in the lower urinary tract. Conclusions. Although the use of electrical thresholds is a valuable technique in the diagnosis of neuropathic disorders in the lower urinary tract, at the current settings it cannot be used to quantify the perception of bladder filling. UROLOGY 57: 655-659, 2001. (C) 2001, Elsevier Science Inc.