The Sensation Meter: An Unprompted Method to Characterize Patient-Reported Bladder Sensation in Real-Time

Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome is characterized by symptoms of urgency, with or without incontinence, usually with increased voiding frequency and nocturia [1], and is prevalent throughout the world [2]. Chronic OAB symptoms are studied with validated surveys, while acute symptoms can be assessed using bladder diaries. These methods may be subject to recall bias, since diaries are typically completed after voiding. The accepted standard for clinical assessment of bladder function and sensation is a urodynamics (UD) study which involves filling the bladder with a catheter. During a UD study, three verbal sensory thresholds (VSTs) are recorded [3]. These thresholds, First Sensation, First Desire to void, and Strong Desire to void, only provide limited, episodic information about acute sensation during filling. Thus, there is a clear need for a tool to evaluate the development of real-time bladder sensation during bladder filling. The objective of this study was to develop a novel Sensation Meter, a patient interface implemented on a touchscreen device that continuously records the patient’s real-time, unprompted sensation of bladder fullness.