Use of a tocodynamometer to investigate bladder instability

The tocodynamometer is used by obstetricians to detect uterine contractions during labour. It has also been used to measure bladder pressure quantitatively in a selected group of patients, namely those with enlarged bladders. The authors´ aim was to investigate whether the tocodynamometer could be used to measure pressure in other groups of patients, including those who have a considerable amount of fat between the bladder and the surface of the skin. The design of tocodynamometer used in this study did not allow absolute pressure measurements. However it was found that the tocodynamometer can be used to detect bladder contractions during both catheter and physiological filling of the bladder. The combination of tocodynamometer with ultrasound would be particularly useful in assessing whether the patient´s bladder is unstable, obstructed or both. Use of the tocodynamometer could avoid the need for invasive measurements of bladder pressure