Diagnostics
Urodynamics measures how the bladder fills, stores, and empties so that treatment is chosen based on function rather than assumption.
Urodynamics is an office study that measures bladder pressure, urine flow, and sphincter activity while the bladder is slowly filled and then emptied. It reproduces your symptoms under measurement so the underlying mechanism can be identified: an overactive bladder muscle, a weak sphincter, obstruction, poor bladder emptying, or a combination.
Two very small catheters are placed, one in the bladder and one in the rectum or vagina, and sensor pads are applied. The bladder is filled slowly with sterile fluid while you report sensations, then you urinate into a special measuring chair. The visit takes about 45 to 60 minutes.
A bladder diary, uroflow with a post-void residual measurement, cystoscopy, and imaging give partial information and are sometimes sufficient for straightforward cases.
Most patients describe it as uncomfortable rather than painful. Catheter placement takes only a few seconds.
Results are usually reviewed with you at a follow-up visit, where the findings are translated directly into a treatment plan.