The urocufftest: A non-invasive alternative to pressure flow studies in adult males with lower urinary tract symptoms secondary to bladder outlet obstruction

Introduction: To assure that patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) benefit from interventions, urologists must practice careful selection of surgical candidates. Currently, 15%-30% of men do not benefit optimally from these invasive and potentially morbid procedures. Success rates following transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) are higher if bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) is confirmed prior to the procedure by invasive pressure flow studies (PFS). However, PFS may not be performed because of many reasons. We report a study of a non-invasive method of assessing BOO. Materials and methods: The UroCufftest was compared to invasive urodynamic studies in adult males with lower urinary tract symptoms. Patients undergoing PFS for LUTS presumed to be due to BOO were recruited from a single site to perform a penile cufftest (UroCuff) at the same time as PFS. Standard PFS were performed followed immediately by a penile cufftest in the same test setting. The results were compared using basic statistical analysis. Results: A total of 19 men were evaluated by both PFS and UroCuffevaluation. Using PFS as the gold standard, the positive predictive value of the UroCuffpenile cufftest to diagnose BOO was found to be 92%. The sensitivity of the UroCufftest for detecting BOO was 75%. When compared to PFS, patients preferred the UroCuff100% of the time. Conclusions: The UroCufftest is accurate in predicting BOO when compared to conventional invasive pressure flow studies in men with LUTS. It is well tolerated and preferred over invasive pressure flow studies.