Comparison of Urethral Length and Anterior Vaginal Wall Thickness between Continent and Incontinent Women

Abstract

Purpose: Few studies are available on the role of female urethral length (UL) and anterior vaginal wall thickness (AVWT) in stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of characterization of female UL and AVWT associated with SUI. Materials and Methods: Between May 2006 and October 2006, a total of 53 women with or without SUI were included in this study. Twenty-three women with SUI and 30 healthy volunteers serving as controls underwent transvaginal ultrasound with use of a 7.5MHz transrectal probe. Measurement comprised UL and three portions of AVWT classified as proximal, middle, and distal according to the location against the urethra. Results: The women’s median age was 51.1 (range: 30-73) years. The UL (mm, mean±SD) was significantly shorter in women with SUI than in women without SUI (28.7±2.8 vs 31.2±4.5, respectively, p=0.02). The AVWT of women with SUI (mm, mean±SD) was 16.2±2.8 in the proximal, 10.7±1.9 in the middle, and 9.3±2.0 in the distal portion, and those of women without SUI were 16.8±3.2, 10.1±1.8, and 6.9±1.3, respectively. Distal AVWT was significantly thicker in women with SUI than in women without SUI (p=0.01). There were no significant differences in AVWT or UL between preand postmenopausal women. A significant positive correlation was found between advancing in age and decrease in UL (p=0.03). Body mass index and parity showed no correlation with UL or any AVWT (p>0.05). Conclusions: These results suggest that women with shorter UL and thicker distal AVWT are likely to have SUI. Furthermore, UL was shorter in older women. (Korean J Urol 2009;50:28-32)