Other Tests
Your medical history is taken along with a physical examination. Testing also may include x-rays, ultrasound, urine tests and a pelvic exam. Tests may be needed to measure bladder pressure and your urine flow. This is called urodynamic testing.
You may need to keep a journal for a week to record quantity of urine, how often you urinate and any episodes of incontinence.
A pad test can measure how much urine seeps out. You get several pads from your doctor, wear a pad for one or two hours and then seal it in a bag. Bring the collection of bags to the doctor or nurse, who will weigh the bags to see how much urine was collected.
Types of urodynamic testing include:
Uroflowmetry. This measures how quickly the urine flows out of you and how much. You may be asked to urinate discreetly into a special toilet that has a scale. This helps your doctor see if the bladder muscle is weak or urine flow is blocked.
Cystometrogram (CMG). This test measures how much your bladder holds, how much pressure builds up inside your bladder as it stores urine and how full it is when you have the urge to urinate. The doctor uses a catheter to empty your bladder. Then a special, smaller catheter with a pressure-measuring tube called a cystometer fills your bladder slowly with water.
Measurement of leak point pressure. While your bladder is being filled for the CMG, it may suddenly contract and squeeze some water out without warning. The cystometer records the pressure point when the leak occurred.
Pressure flow study. After the CMG, you empty your bladder so that the catheter can measure the pressures it needs to urinate. This helps identify an obstruction.
Electromyography. If your doctor thinks you have nerve damage, you may get an electromyography test. This measures muscles in the urethral sphincter using sensors placed on the skin near the urethra and rectum.
Video urodynamics. Urodynamic tests take pictures of the bladder during filling and emptying. X-rays or sound waves show the size and shape of the urinary tract.
More on Urinary Incontinence How Urinary Incontinence Is Diagnosed
In the Encyclopedia:
Bed-wetting
Bladder training
External sphincter electromyography
Urinary incontinence
This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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