Correlation between lower urinary tract symptoms and urethral function in benign prostatic hyperplasia

Aim: To examine the potential correlation between urethral function and lower urinary tract Symptoms (LUTS) in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Methods: Thirty-one patients with clinical BPH, who were confirmed to have benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) of 20 ml or more, were enrolled into the study. A mark-sheet questionnaire was used for obtaining the LUTS history. Multichannel pressure-flow urodynamic studies were performed and external urethral sphincter pressure (PEUS), intravesical pressure (PVES), and bladder neck pressure (PBN) were recorded both at maximum cystometric capacity and during voiding with 5-microtip transducers, for the purpose of detecting BPE-specific urodynamic findings at different levels within the urethra. Results: There was a positive correlation between hesitancy and detrusor bladder neck dyssynergia (DBND) (P - 0.0011) and between incomplete emptying and low PBN at maximum cystometric capacity (P = 0.0425). The hesitancy proved to have no correlation with bladder neck opening time (TBNO). Conclusion: Urodynamic evaluation of urethral function was beneficial for attributing LUTS to clinical BPH. Among various parameters, DBND was the most specific to clinical BPH, suggesting it to be a situation where a steep rise in PBN or prostatic urethral pressure remains greater than the increasing PVES, resulting in sustained difficulty in opening the bladder neck and subsequently the subjective sensation of hesitancy. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.