This is a study of bladder activity, the pressure in the bladder and the flow in the tube (the urethra) through which you pass urine (wee). It shows what is happening when your bladder is filling and emptying.
This forms part of the total assessment of your bladder problems. It will help your urologist to decide on treatment. It takes about 25 minutes. You can drive home afterwards.
The tests take place in the urology departments at Wansbeck General Hospital and North Tyneside General Hospital.
What happens in a urodynamic study?
A nurse will talk to you about your bladder problems and explain the procedure.
You will have to wee into a special toilet in a private room. This will measure the rate and amount of urine (wee) that you pass.
You will be offered a hospital gown, asked to undress below the waist, and then to lie down on an examination couch.
After cleaning the genital area, 2 catheters will be passed into the bladder. One to fill your bladder and one to measure pressure changes. Another catheter is placed into the back passage or the vagina to measure pressure from your tummy muscles.
The catheters are connected to a special machine and a computer which enables us to look at your bladder activity.
As your bladder is filled with sterile saline (a mixture of water and salt), you will be asked to say when you feel the need to wee and when you feel you cannot hold on any longer.
You may be asked to do some gentle exercises while we look for leakage of urine. Please do not feel embarrassed if any urine escapes, this sometimes happens.
Before the catheters are removed, you will be left in private to wee into the special toilet again.
The catheters will then be taken out, and you will be able to redress.