Abstract
ABSTRACTPurpose:To identify the minimum bladder diary's length required to furnish reliable documentation of LUTS in a specific cohort of patients suffering from neurogenic urinary dysfunction secondary to suprapontine pathology.Materials and Methods:From January 2008 to January 2014, patients suffering from suprapontine pathology and LUTS were requested to prospectively complete a bladder diary form for 7 consecutive days. Micturitions per day, excreta per micturition, urgency and incontinence episodes and voided volume per day were evaluated from the completed diaries.We compared the averaged records of consecutive days (2-6 days) to the total 7 days records for each patient's diary, seeking the minimum diary's length that could provide records comparable to the 7 days average, the reference point in terms of reliability.Results:From 285 subjects, 94 male and 69 female patients enrolled in the study. The records of day 1 were significantly different from the average of the 7 days records in every parameter, showing relatively small correlation and providing insufficient documentation. Correlations gradually increased along the increase in diary's duration. According to our results a 3-day duration bladder diary is efficient and can provide results comparable to a 7 day length for four of our evaluated parameters. Regarding incontinence episodes, 3 days seems inadequate to furnish comparable results, showing a borderline difference.Conclusions:A 3-day diary can be used, as its reliability is efficient regarding number of micturition per day, excreta per micturition, episodes of urgency and voided volume per day.
Highlights
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) secondary to neurological disorders appear to be a major health problem affecting patients worldwide [1]
Analyzing the data derived from a 7-day bladder diary we evaluated five parameters seeking the optimal length for each one, assuming that the 7-day duration urinary diary is the reference point in the assessment of LUTS [5, 6]
The design and the cohort of our study was totally different, our results indicate that a 3-day diary length is adequate, effective and comparable to 7-day, providing credible results in patients suffering from suprapontine pathology in terms of the majority of the evaluated parameters
Summary
Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) secondary to neurological disorders appear to be a major health problem affecting patients worldwide [1]. Voiding dysfunction has a remarkably negative impact on the quality of life and may lead to significant and life threatening complications [2], increasing simultaneously the economic burden for patients and health providers. The usual history-taking in patients with neurological disorders seems inadequate for the assessment of LUTS due to subjective factors. Several clinical trials targeting a more objective and accurate evaluation of LUTS have employed urinary diaries in order to identify voiding patterns and to quantify response to treatment. A validated standardized bladder diary in terms of diary format, duration and evaluated parameters, has not yet been established [4]. A BD with an optimum duration, which may ensure reliable results having simultaneously an acceptable level of patient’s compliance, remains a dispute
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