Urodynamics Can Provide Answers to Bladder Problems
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 ales and females, young and old are often afflicted with bladder problems or disease. Going untreated, urinary leakage and retention are conditions that may leave those who suffer feeling very frustrated and often incapable of accomplishing simple activities or pleasures such as taking a walk, going to the grocery store, or even laughing.
 Fortunately, medication, surgery, or both are often the solutions for such conditions. According to many urology experts, an excellent tool for identifying the right treatment for each patient is the use of urodynamics.
"Urodynamics is a study designed to help physicians determine why the bladder is not functioning properly by looking for the reasons urinary leakage or retention is occurring," says Pam Edds. A registered nurse, Edds works in the urodynamics lab of the Urology Center at Parkwest Medical Center.
"By the time they come in for urodynamics testing, most of our patients have often already modified their lifestyles because of bladder problems. They've stopped going to church, traveling, and so on. They are usually in a very poor frame of mind as a result of the continuous urinary leakage or retention."
Edds, who conducts most of the urodynamics studies performed at Fort Sanders Parkwest, explains that urodynamics is a computerized study that uses pressure sensitive equipment to measure abdominal muscle and bladder pressure. The study usually lasts approximately two hours, during which the bladder is filled with a saline solution. The equipment then measures the sensitivity and activity of the bladder as the solution is released from the body. The procedure usually requires no anesthesia and only a local anesthesia if the patient becomes uncomfortable during the procedure.
"The results of the test can help the physician determine what treatment is most appropriate and help give the patient a new outlook on life," says Edds. She explains that the procedure can be done before resorting to medication or surgery, helping the doctor identify the least invasive method of treatment.
If surgery is deemed the best form of treatment, urodynamics can be helpful in identifying what type of surgical procedure will be most beneficial to the patient. The procedure also can be used after other treatment measures have been exhausted to identify more than one reason the bladder is leaking or retaining urine.
Edds says urodynamics studies are also used by physicians to track the rehabilitation progress of patients with spinal cord or similar injuries.
In addition to providing urodynamics testing, the Urology Center at Fort Sanders Parkwest offers treatment for a wide range of urological problems including kidney stones, impotence, and prostate disease. The center was also the first in the region to offer extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL), a revolutionary and far less painful treatment for kidney stone removal.
The Urology Center at Fort Sanders Parkwest has offered urodynamics testing for more than six years, providing a private, patient-sensitive treatment area for the procedures within the hospital. For the last two years, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge has offered urodynamics studies as well.
If you have bladder problems and suffer from frequent urine retention or incontinence, consult your physician. If you need to locate a physician please contact 673-FORT for further information.
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