Bladder weight and detrusor thickness as parameters of progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract

Purpose of review: This manuscript reviews the information that became available over the last 12 months on the measurement of bladder/detrusor wall thickness and ultrasound-estimated bladder weight in patients with benign prostatic enlargement. The subject is of particular interest because novel technological developments may help to standardize and automate the measurement technique.

Recent findings: Preliminary data on the automatic measurement of bladder wall thickness were reported, suggesting a good repeatability and agreement with conventional ultrasound imaging, although variance is higher than with conventional ultrasound, and thicknesses above 4 mm were not measured correctly. Some controversies emerged in the most recent peer-review literature on the possibility to diagnose bladder outlet obstruction and detrusor overactivity by measuring bladder wall thickness, and this certainly pleaded for further collaborative research and standardization. Preliminary results from new technological developments suggest a very accurate measure of bladder volume and good repeatability of bladder wall and bladder weight measurements.

Conclusion: After a decade of research, automated measurement of bladder is here to stay. Standardization of bladder wall and weight measurement will allow better understanding of the physiopathology of detrusor hypertrophy in lower urinary tract dysfunction and possibly provide useful prognosticator indexes for our daily practice.