Objective: To determine the clinical usefulness of measuring detrusor wall thickness (DWT) as a noninvasive test in women with overactive bladder (OAB).
Patients, subjects and methods: We prospectively enrolled 122 women with dry OAB, wet OAB, and women with no OAB symptoms (control group). A 3-day voiding diary was used to differentiate between wet and dry OAB. Transabdominal ultrasonography (TAUS) measurements of DWT were taken at bladder volumes of 250-300 mL and the maximal bladder capacity by both catheter- and natural-filling. Video-urodynamic studies (VUDS) were used to classify bladder dysfunction in 88 of the women.
Results: The mean (range) age of the women was 58 (20-94) years. There were 39 'normal' controls, 44 women had dry OAB, and 39 had wet OAB. Of the 88 women who had VUDS, 28 had a 'normal' test, 30 had increased bladder sensation (IBS), and 30 had detrusor overactivity (DO). The mean DWT at 250-300 mL among three symptomatic subgroups or urodynamic subgroups showed no significant difference by either catheter- or natural-filling methods. The women with wet OAB had significantly greater DWTs than the controls at maximal bladder volume. The maximal bladder capacity was significantly greater in 'normal' women than in those with OAB. If we corrected maximal bladder volume to 250 mL, DWT at corrected 250 mL showed no significant difference among three symptomatic subgroups.
Conclusions: DWT measured by TAUS in women with OAB and without OAB was not different and did not differ with urodynamic status. Thus, TAUS measurement of DWT is not recommended as a useful diagnostic test for DO in women with OAB.