Clinical Usefulness of Valsalva Leak Point Pressure as a Diagnostic Tool in Stress Urinary Incontinence

Lee, Dong Soo; Lee, Jeong Gu

Abstract

PURPOSE: The valsalva leak Point pressure(VLPP) has been suggested as an objective tool for diagosing female stress urinary incontinence(SUI) accompained by intrinsic sphictor deficiency(ISD) Our aims were to determine the predictive value of VLPP in patients with ISD and correlation between VLPP and other parameters as a diagnostic tool for ISD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with stress urinary incontinence were evaluated propectively with symptom grade(Stamey grade). Q-tip test, 1hr pad test, and VLPP. Correlations of VLPP and these clinical parameters were computed. VLPP of 60cm H2O was determined as a cut-off value of ISD and compared with other parameters(symptom grade, hypermobility).
RESULTS
Of the total 67 patients, SUI was grade lin 20(29.8%) ll in 32(47.8%) and lllin 15(22.4%). Of the 67 patients, 48 had VLPP of more than 60cmH2O. Among these, SUI was grade l in 20(100%), ll in 26(81.3%) and lllin 2(13.3%). There were significant differences in the incidence between grade llland grade l or ll (P<0.01). Of the 19 patients with VLPP of 60cmH2O or less, SUI grade lllin 77 in 13(86.7%); where SUI was grade lin 0(0%) and ll in 6(18.7%) with statistical significance between grade llland grade l or ll. Urethral hypermobility was noted in 56(83.6%); this was l in 20(100%), ll in 26(81.8%) and lllin 10(67%). Among the SUI patients without hypermobility, none had symptoms of grade l: whereas 33.3% of grade lllpatients didn't show hypermobility. There appeared significant correlation(p<0.001) between the VLPP and symptom grade(correlation coefficient=0.68). Moderate correlations were present between either symptom grade or VLPP and amount of urine leakage(correlation coefficient=0.5). No statistically significant relationship existed between either VLPP or symptom grade and urethral hypermobility.
CONCLUSION
subjective degree(such as symptom severity or amount of urine loss) of stress incontinence seems useful in predicting the likelihood of low valsalva leak point pressure which suggests intrinsic sphinctor deficiency. By the result that some women of grade ll incontinence with urethral hypermobility exhibited low VLPP, measurement of VLPP could be a valuable tool in choosing the treatment modality of stress urinary incontinence.