Detrusor wall thickness compared to other non-invasive methods in diagnosing men with bladder outlet obstruction: A prospective controlled study

Introduction: The current study aims to compare the diagnostic accuracy of detrusor wall thickness to other noninvasive, tools, using pressure flow studies as a reference, in the assessment of bladder outlet, obstruction among men presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms. Patients and Methods: Men aged 50 or older presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms were evaluated for bladder outlet, obstruction using detrusor wall thickness (measured by a transabdominal 7.5. MHz ultrasound) and, other non-invasive tools (namely uroflowmetry, post-void residual, and prostate volume), and the results were compared to pressure flow study. Results: Detrusor wall thickness ranged from 0.7. mm to 7. mm (mean ± SD of 2.39 ± 1.64 mm), and 21 patients, were classified as obstructed (thickness ≥ 2 mm). Based on pressure flow study 23 patients had, bladder outlet obstruction. Detrusor wall thickness had the highest accuracy (88.0%), the highest, specificity (92.6%) and the highest positive predictive value (90.5%) among the non-invasive tests. Conclusions: Detrusor wall thickness measurement can be used to diagnose and quantify bladder outlet obstruction, non-invasively in men with lower urinary tract symptoms, with an accuracy approaching that of the standard pressure flow studies.