Disposable (Infant) Surface Electrocardiogram Electrodes in Urodynamics: A Simultaneous Comparative Study of Electrodes

Abstract

Substantiated by the simultaneous comparison with wire and rectal catheter electrodes, disposable surface electrocardiogram electrodes developed for infants have proved to be easy to place, well tolerated and reliable for urodynamic testing in more than 400 clinical urodynamic evaluations.

Use of α₁-Blockers in Female Functional Bladder Neck Obstruction

“…We performed electromyography by means of surface electrodes, since needle electrodes can lead to false readings during micturition, due to frequent repositionings [24] . However, for the purpose of the diagnosis of functional bladder neck obstruction, electromyography by means of surface electrodes is considered to be a reliable method [25,26] . In all patients enrolled in our study, electromyography did not show any external sphincter activity.…”

Urethral pressure variations in healthy and incontinent women

“…Vereecken and Verduyn [1970], Doyle et a1 [1975], Huisman et al [1979], and Norling and Meyhoff [1979] have shown that the anal sphincter EMG activity in patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction is not representative of the activity in the urethral sphincter. However, Barrett [1980] claims that in the absence of pelvic trauma or diffuse demyelinating disease this difference is unlikely, and most patients certainly may be tested reliably by means of the anal sphincter activity monitoring. Perkash [ 19801 is of the opinion that neither in patients nor in normal males the anal sphincter EMG may provide adequate information about the external urethral sphincter.…”

“…Perianal [Barrett, 1980;Maizels and Firlit, 19793 or intravaginal electrodes [Lose et al, 19851 have shown to be practical and without patients discomfort. Moreover they are accurate and reliable in EMG activity recordings during urodynamic studies and diagnostics.…”

Sphincter Electromyography

“…Surface electrodes record the potential difference between two electrodes applied in the vicinity of the muscle group to be studied; as such they are incapable of detecting individual motor unit action potentials and therefore are practically useless for neurologic evaluation. Surface electrodes are available in the form of patch ielectrodes to be applied directly to the skm [Maizels, 1979;Barrett, 1980;Barrett et al, 19811 or they may be mounted on a urethral catheter [Nordling et al, 19781 or anal plug [Bradley et al, 19741.…”

“…Proponents of surface electrodes believe that, in neurologically intact patients, the entire perineal floor musculature acts as a single physiologic unit and that all the component muscles contract and relax in unison [Bradley et al, 1974;Maizels, 1979;Mayo, 1979;Barrett, 1980;Barrett et al, 19811. Other authors, however, have observed and documented discrepancies between the response of the individual perineal muscles to external stimuli.…”