Serial transurethral cystometry: A novel method for longitudinal evaluation of reflex lower urinary tract function in adult female rats

Abstract

Aims The aim of the study is to develop a minimally invasive method for longitudinal evaluation of lower urinary tract function that allows for simultaneous measurements of bladder pressure and external urethral sphincter (EUS) electromyographic (EMG) activity. Methods To evaluate the reliability of serial transurethral cystometry (STUC), rats ( n = 12) underwent three sessions of STUC, one session a week for 3 weeks. During each session, rats were anesthetized with ketamine–xylazine (90 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg), and micturition reflex data were acquired using transurethral cystometry and percutaneous recording of EUS (EMG) activity during continuous infusion of saline into the bladder. The reliability and consistency of the STUC method were assessed using intra‐class correlation (ICC) analysis and repeated measures ANOVA. Results ICC values calculated from five successive events during the first micturition session indicate good to excellent reliability for measurements of peak bladder pressure, threshold bladder pressure, minimum bladder pressure, volume threshold, duration of EUS bursting, and number of EUS burst events. Across the three recording sessions no significant difference was observed in peak bladder pressure, threshold bladder pressure, minimum bladder pressure, volume threshold, number of EUS burst events, and duration of EUS bursting using repeated measures ANOVA. Conclusion Serial transurethral cystometry under ketamine–xylazine anesthesia with simultaneous percutaneous EUS EMG recording is a novel, reliable, accurate, and minimally invasive method for quantitative assessment of lower urinary tract (LUT) function in adult female rats over extended periods of time.

Assessing Neurogenic Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction after Spinal Cord Injury: Animal Models in Preclinical Neuro-Urology Research

“…In addition, longitudinal assessment is more challenging with the chronic catheter and electrode implantation commonly performed in small animals (e.g., inflammation, urinary tract infection, stone formation, bleeding, and catheter blockade) [ 158 , 171 ] compared to transurethral approaches. To address this, a serial transurethral cystometric technique has been proposed and may offer a reliable method for longitudinal assessment [ 213 ].…”