The feasibility of urethral color ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis of femaleintrinsic sphincter deficiency: preliminary results

Study design: Prospective study. Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of color ultrasound imaging of the urethra in association with UPP to diagnose intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD). Setting: Italy. Methods: We studied a group of 13 normal female volunteers (mean age 29 years) during the estrogenic phase and a group of 15 patients (mean age 63.9 years) with ISD. All patients and normal volunteers underwent color ultrasound imaging using a 4-7 MHz convex broad band transducer. Translabial sagittal scans of the urethra were obtained. The color ultrasound parameters were optimized for detection of parenchymal slow flows. A subjective score of the degree of vascularization along the entire urethra was established as follows: (a) minimal or absent (1), (b) poor (2), (c) moderate (3), (d) good (4). Statistical analysis, using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney rank sum test, was carried out to determine differences of ultrasound scores between volunteers and patients. Results: The statistical evaluation showed that the differences between the ultrasound scores in the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion: We affirm that color ultrasound imaging of the urethra seems to be feasible and useful in association with UPP in the diagnosis of ISD even if this echographic investigation needs further observations.