The stop-flow technique: a way to measure detrusor strength.

Maximum intravesical isometric pressure, obtained by stopping the urinary flow in progress, measures detrusor strength and allows an accurate evaluation of bladder contraction. Micturition studies were performed on 7 normal subjects and 48 patients with urinary obstruction, enuresis, neurogenic vesical dysfunction or stress incontinence. In the case of obstruction maximum isometric pressure appears to relate to the degree of detrusor compensation and allows a prognosis as to the future of detrusor function after the obstruction is removed. An unexpected large proportion of patients with enuresis were found to have high maximum isometric pressure usually associated with elevated urethral resistance, suggesting that urinary obstruction may not uncommon as an etiological factor of enuresis.