6533b835fe1ef96bd129f6e1

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Relationship of Flow Rate with Symptoms, Quality of Life and Other Clinical Parameters in Patients with LUTS Suggestive of BPH

subject

description

The uroflowmetry data of a selected number of patients who took part to the QUIBUS study (366 traces selected after quality control by a central panel of reviewer) were evaluated for their relationships with age, prostate volume, and IPSS and ICS-BPH scores. Waiting time, flow time, voided volume, maximum flow rate (Q(max)) and average flow rate (Q(ave)) were the flow variables considered for analysis. Only measurements with total voided volume exceeding 100 ml were included.An increasing percentage of subjects with voided volume200 ml was observed over 65 years of age. Age did not affect neither Q(ave) nor Q(max )(p = n.s. at correlation analysis). In particular, Q(max)was15 ml/s in about 70% of patients independently of age. Prostate enlargement was inversely associated with voided volume, Q(max) and Q(ave), showing a worsening of urinary function for increasing values of prostate volume Q(max) was negatively correlated with IPSS total score and with most single items with the exception of two storage symptoms such as repeated urination and nocturia). Accordingly, Q(max) was inversely associated with the total score ICS-BPH for voiding symptoms to a higher extent (r = -0.31, p0.01) than with the one for storage symptoms (r = -0.22, p0.01). Flow variables were inversely correlated with IPSS-QoL.Uroflowmetry and IPSS, although not allowing a definitive diagnosis of obstruction, may nonetheless satisfy the clinical need of a rapid, easy and accurate tool for the noninvasive screening of LUTS patients.