Sixth Report on the Standardisation of Terminology of Lower Urinary Tract Function

The first four reports of the Standardisation Committee of the International Continence Society dealt with the nomenclature relating to urinary incontinence, procedures related to the evaluation of urine storage (cystometry, urethral closure pressure profile), units of measurement (Bates et al. , 1976), procedures related to the evaluation of micturition (flow rate, pressure measurement), symbols (Bates et al. , 1977), procedures related to the evaluation of micturition: pressure flow relationship, residual urine (Bates et al. , 1980) and neuromuscular dysfunction of the lower urinary tract (Bates et al. , 1981). The fifth report has remained an internal document of the Society and deals with the quantification of urine leakage. This report deals with recommendations on terminology related to neurophysiological investigations of the lower urinary tract with particular reference to electromyography, nerve pathway studies and sensory testing. These standards are proposed to facilitate comparison of results by investigators who use these investigations. It is recommended that the acknowledgement of these standards in written publications be indicated by a footnote to the section “Methods and Materials” or its equivalent: “Methods, definitions and units conform to the standards proposed by the International Continence Society except where specifically noted.”