Comparison of Air-charged Catheter and Water-filled Catheter in Female Urethral Pressure Profile

Abstract

ObjectivesTo compared the maximum urethral pressure (Pura@max) and functional urethral length (FUL) obtained with water‐filled catheters and air‐charged catheters during female urethral pressure profile (UPP) in a retrospective study. Subjects and methodsOne hundred and five female patients were enrolled in our investigation. At Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, patients who had lower urinary tract dysfunction underwent UPP using a modified UPP equipment. In one UPP, both a water-filled catheter (WFC) and an air-charged catheter (ACC) were employed simultaneously. The paired t-test was used to compare the differences between the two systems. Bias and correlations between the two systems were analyzed according to the American Clinical and Laboratory Standardization Institute (CLSI) EP9-A3 recommendations. ResultThere were 105 female participants in this study. The patients were 55.5±14.2 years old on average. By using the ACC and WFC systems, the mean functional urethral length (FUL) was determined to be 39.7±16.2mm and 33.9±13.9mm, respectively. The FUL findings of two systems differed significantly from one another (P<0.01), and a linear fit with R2=0.94 indicates a strong linear correlation. The findings of the maximum urethral pressure (Pura@max) measurements made by the ACC and WFC systems, respectively, were 134.3±39.1cmH2O and 99.2±27.6cmH2O, are substantially different (P<0.01), and the linear fit R2=0.67. The Pura@max of two systems did not linearly correlate with one another. Conclusion：For UPP, air-charged catheters often provide higher readings than water-filled catheters, and there is a significant difference in the readings between the two systems. The pressure values derived from the two systems do not correlate, although the FUL does have a significant linear correlation. Results from the ACC and WFC cannot be used interchangeably.