High-resolution imaging characterization of bladder muscle contractility

This study explores the use of high-speed optical coherence tomography (OCT) to characterize the dynamic morphophysiology of the bladder detrusor muscles, thus providing a tool to analyze detrusor functions and the mechanisms leading to geriatric incontinence. Ex vivo OCT imaging study was performed to analyze the temperature dependence of the spontaneous contractility of rabbit bladder. The time-lapsed OCT images were segmented and FFT was implemented to analyze the changes of the detrusor muscle contractility with temperature. The results show that the bladder contractility increases with temperature. The data suggest that, owing to the high temporal and high spatial resolutions, time-lapse OCT can provide a new platform to systemically study detrusor muscle dynamic morphophysiology and functions under varying conditions (e.g. field stimulation, pharmacological intervention etc.), critical to the diagnosis of detrusor dysfunction and the mechanisms leading to geriatric incontinence.