Patients’ experience with ambulatory urodynamics

OBJECTIVE: To assess emotional variables in patients who underwent ambulatory urodynamic monitoring (AUM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 33 females and 7 males aged 23-72 years with an overactive bladder who had undergone three consecutive AUM sessions were included in the study on a prospective basis. Patients completed a self-administered questionnaire before and immediately after each procedure. Answers were given using a visual analog scale. RESULTS: The pre-procedural level of anxiety did not differ significantly with respect to sex, age, education level or income. The degree of bother experienced by patients aged > or = 50 years was higher than for those aged < 50 years: 5 vs 2.5 (p = 0.030). As income increased, the degrees of pain (p = 0.016), bother (p = 0.013) and boredom (p = 0.010) decreased. Other emotional aspects did not differ significantly according to age or income (p > 0.05). Only the subjective bother score influenced the examiner-rated degree of intolerance during AUM (p = 0.007). A total of 34 patients (85.0%) indicated that they would be willing to return for a further session of AUM. The degree of intolerance decreased at the second (p = 0.006) and third (p = 0.049) AUM sessions, whereas other parameters were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that AUM is acceptable and well tolerated by patients with bladder dysfunction.