What is urodynamics testing?
Any procedure that examines how well your urinary tract stores and releases urine falls under the umbrella of urodynamic testing. While most urodynamic tests focus on your bladder’s ability to hold and empty urine, they also show if your bladder is having involuntary contractions resulting in leakage. Urodynamic tests are particularly appropriate if your symptoms suggest problems with your lower urinary tract.
The urodynamics testing you have done at My OB/GYN Specialists ranges from simple observations to precise measurements where the doctors use sophisticated instruments.
Why do you need urodynamics testing?
Your doctor at My OB/GYN Specialists recommends urodynamics testing if you suffer with:
- Stress urinary incontinence
- Urgency
- Urge incontinence
- Mixed incontinence
- Recurring urinary tract infections
What are the different types of urodynamics testing?
Urodynamics testing is done in the office of My OB/GYN Specialists and includes:
Uroflowmetry
Using specialized equipment, uroflowmetry measures the speed and volume at which you release urine. During your test, you urinate into a funnel with a collection container and a scale. If your bladder muscles are weak or your flow is blocked, your results come back as abnormal.
Postvoid residual measurement
Postvoid residual testing measures the amount of urine you have left in your bladder after you urinate. Your doctor at My OB/GYN Specialists measures the remaining urine using ultrasound equipment. A sign that your bladder isn’t completely emptying is if you have a postvoid residual of over 100 milliliters.
Cystometric test
Your doctor at My OB/GYN Specialists uses two catheters and a pressure-measuring device called a manometer to measure how much urine your bladder holds, how much pressure builds up inside your bladder as urine gets stored, and how full your bladder is when you get the urge to urinate.
Leak point pressure measurement
Done during cystometric testing, leak point pressure urodynamics testing measures the pressure in your bladder to the point that you begin to leak urine. To do so, your doctor at My OB/GYN Specialists has you a cough or move while your bladder gets filled.
Electromyography
If your doctor thinks your urinary issues are due to nerve or muscle damage, then she performs electromyography using special sensors that measure the electrical activity of the muscles and nerves in and around your bladder and sphincters to determine if the nerve impulses between your bladder and sphincters are correctly coordinated.
Video urodynamic tests
For this urodynamics testing, X-rays or ultrasound pictures and videos of your bladder while it fills and empties help your doctor better understand your incontinence problem.
Urodynamics testing helps your doctor determine what type of pelvic floor rehabilitation is right for you. To get help with your incontinence, call or make an appointment online today with one of the doctors at My OB/GYN Specialists in Miami.
