Correlation between Lower Urinary Tract Scoring System, Behavior Check List, and Bladder Sonography in Children with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

Delineating the Diagnostic Concordance Between Pediatric Lower Urinary Symptoms Scoring and Voiding Diary in Pediatric Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction

BACKGROUND

This retrospective research endeavored to conduct a comparative evaluation of the Pediatric Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Scoring (PLUTSS) system and the Voiding Diary (VD). The correlation between these diagnostic tools, their prognostic value for treatment outcomes in pediatric Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction (LUTD), and their relationship with patients' sociodemographic characteristics were also explored.

METHODOLOGY

The study data for the cohort established between December 2005 and September 2006 were obtained from a specialized thesis, while the subsequent expansion from 2022 to 2023 involved a prospective approach, including an additional 73 patients, resulting in a total of 113 pediatric patients (79 females and 34 males). Comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, such as urinalysis, urine culture, renal function tests, urinary tract ultrasound, uroflowmetry-electromyography (EMG), and post-voiding residual urine measurement (PVR), were conducted. The patient's symptoms were assessed using the Pediatric Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score (PLUTSS) and a two-day-three-night voiding diary.

RESULTS

The correlation between the PLUTSS and VD was not absolute but substantial concerning daytime frequency and incontinence. Notably, PLUTSS emerged as the primary predictor of treatment outcomes. No significant association was discerned between sociodemographic characteristics, such as socioeconomic status, sibling count, toilet training, school performance, patient personality, and LUTD diagnosis or prognosis.

CONCLUSION

The findings underscore the prognostic value of PLUTSS for treatment outcomes in pediatric LUTD. Although a significant correlation was observed between PLUTSS and VD, they are not interchangeable. As a result, concurrent utilization of both tools is endorsed for comprehensive diagnosis, follow-up, and treatment planning in pediatric LUTD.

Bowel and Bladder Dysfunction Is Associated with Psychiatric Comorbidities and Functional Impairment in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Objective: Neuropsychiatric disorders are common in children with bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD), a syndrome associated with urinary frequency, urgency, holding, incontinence, and constipation. We evaluated BBD symptom severity in children and youth attending a tertiary care obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) clinic. Methods: Consecutive patients attending initial OCD assessments between 2016 and 2020 were invited to participate in a registry study. Diagnosis of OCD and comorbidities was established by structured clinical interview. OCD severity and impact were assessed with the Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (CY-BOCS) and the Child Obsessive Compulsive Impact Scale (COIS-R; self-report), respectively. BBD symptoms were quantified with the Vancouver Symptom Score (VSS), a validated self-report measure. Results: One hundred twelve participants completed the VSS (mean age 13.5 ± 3.3, range 7-20). Based on a cutoff score of 11 corresponding to pediatric urologist-diagnosed BBD, 30.4% of participants screened positive, including more females than males (39.3% vs. 21.4%; p = 0.04). Daytime urinary incontinence was present in a greater proportion of participants with OCD forbidden thoughts (34.8% vs. 8.2%, p = 0.002), major depressive disorder (MDD; 38.5% vs. 6.8%, p = 0.001), and somatization disorder (60% vs. 9%, p = 0.001) compared with those without. A regression model including CY-BOCS, COIS-R, psychiatric comorbidities, medications, age, and gender explained 52.2% of the variance in VSS; COIS-R, tic disorder, and MDD were significant predictors. Conclusion: BBD symptoms are common and associated with high OCD-related impairment and psychiatric comorbidities. Standardized assessment may facilitate identification of BBD symptoms in this population and is critical to mitigating long-term physical and mental health impacts. Further studies are required to assess the relationship between BBD and OCD treatment outcomes.

Study of the profile of behavioral problems and quality of life indexes in a pediatric cohort of monosymptomatic enuresis

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate and correlate, before and after the therapeutic intervention, the behavioral problem scores evaluated by the CBCL/6-18 questionnaire and the quality of life indexes evaluated by the PedsQL™ 4.0 in patients with monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.

METHOD

After the initial evaluation and completion of the CBCL/6-18 questionnaire, a multidisciplinary evaluation and completion of the PedsQL™ 4.0 questionnaire was performed. Of the initially evaluated 140 children and adolescents aged 6-16 years, 58 were excluded due to non-monosymptomatic enuresis or associated comorbidities. Of the initially included 82 patients, who were randomized to three treatment groups, 59 completed the CBCL/6-18 and PedsQL™ 4.0 questionnaires at the end of the treatment and were included in this study. The α error was set at 5% for ruling out the null hypothesis.

RESULTS

Of the total of 59 participants, 45.8% responded with total success, 23.7% were partially successful, 23.7% did not reach the improvement criteria, and 6.8% gave up the treatment. There was a significant increase in quality of life indexes and a reduction of post-intervention behavioral problem scores, in the three proposed modalities, in patients who had a total or partial response to treatment. There was no correlation between higher scores of pre-treatment behavior problems and therapeutic failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Only the participants who successfully responded to interventions showed improvement in quality of life and behavioral problems, which indicates that enuresis is a primary problem that has a negative impact on these parameters. The authors suggest that it is possible to achieve success in the treatment of monosymptomatic enuresis, even in patients with high pre-intervention behavioral problem scores.

Assessment of pediatric bowel and bladder dysfunction: a critical appraisal of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Bowel and bladder dysfunction (BBD) is a clinical syndrome defined by the coexistence of constipation and lower urinary tract symptoms. Although BBD is a common condition in pediatric urology and can cause significant stress to patients/parents, clinical diagnosis of BBD has not been standardized. Bowel and bladder dysfunction instruments have gained popularity over the past decade to aid in diagnosis. In this review, the currently published BBD symptom questionnaires were summarized and an analysis on their psychometric validation process was provided.

SUBJECTS/PATIENTS

PubMed was searched for articles on BBD symptom questionnaires/instruments/surveys since 2000. Two investigators (R.Y.J. & M.S.K.) conducted the search in duplicate. The search was limited to English language. The included search terms were 'dysfunctional elimination syndrome', 'bowel and bladder dysfunction', 'dysfunctional voiding', 'voiding dysfunction symptom score', and 'dysfunctional voiding symptom scale'. Reference lists of included studies were screened for missed studies. Unpublished abstracts presented at the following scientific meetings were also manually searched for: the American Urological Association, the Society for Pediatric Urology, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Urology. Exclusion criteria included articles in languages other than English, articles not related to BBD questionnaires, and articles not pertaining to pediatric patients.

RESULTS

After initial search, a total of 54 articles were obtained. Of the seven questionnaires reviewed, only one did not measure sensitivity or specificity. Almost all questionnaires showed excellent discriminative property with an Area under the curve (AUC) >0.85. Criterion validity was not reported in any of the questionnaires. Known-group validation was used as a common method to evaluate construct validity. Internal consistency was reported in 2 studies, and only 1 study measured questionnaire responsiveness during initial validation.

CONCLUSIONS

Although BBD is a common pediatric urology condition; a large amount of heterogeneity exists in the questionnaires' psychometric testing and validation process. To further improve the diagnosis and management of BBD in pediatric patients, there is a need for consensus on the gold standard questionnaire measure.

Lower Urinary Tract Urological Abnormalities and Urodynamic Findings of Physiological Urinary Incontinence Versus Non-mono Symptomatic Nocturnal Enuresis in Children

BACKGROUND

Although 98% of children attain daytime bladder control by three years of age, urinary incontinence is regarded physiological up to the fifth year of life.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess whether lower urinary tract urological abnormalities and abnormal urodynamic findings are infrequent in children with physiological urinary incontinence in contrast to those with non-monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (NMNE).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

During a three-year period (2007-2009), 66 neurologically normal children including 51 children (34 girls, 17 boys) older than five years of age with NMNE and intermittent daytime incontinence, and 15 children with physiological urinary incontinence (eight girls and seven boys) aged four to five years of age without any known urological abnormalities were enrolled in the study. Patients with neurologic deficits or known urological anomalies were excluded from the study. Kidney-bladder ultrasonography, voiding cystourethrography (VCUG), and urodynamic studies were performed to evaluate the anatomy of urinary tract and bladder function.

RESULTS

Urinary tract infection was found in 23 (34.8%) children, 17 (33.3%) and 6 (40%) patients with NMNE and physiological urinary incontinence, respectively. Out of 48 patients who underwent VCUG, vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was found in seven and eight children younger and older than five years of age, respectively. Abnormal urodynamic findings were reported in 5 (62.5%) of eight children younger than five-year-old, and 14 (63.6%) of 22 patients older than 5-year-old.

CONCLUSIONS

VUR might be more frequent in children with physiological urinary incontinence than the normal population, and might be as common as NMNE with intermittent daytime incontinence.

Validity and reliability of Persian translated version of Pediatric Lower Urinary Tract Scoring System Questionnaire for Iranian children

BACKGROUND

Pediatric lower urinary tract scoring system (PLUTSS) is a questionnaire contains items for assessmentof wetting episodes, voiding frequency and pattern. It is used for screening and evaluation of the responseof children with lower urinary tract symptoms to therapy. We studied the validity and reliability of Persiantranslated version of this questionnaire among Iranian children.

METHODS

One hundred and ninety-seven children aged 5-15 years with urinary tract infection, voiding dysfunction,enuresis were enrolled in this study. Thirty-three healthy age-matched children without urinary complaintwere considered as controls. PLUTSS questionnaire was filled out for all children. Sonography was performedto rule out urogenital abnormalities. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity of the questionnairewere assessed using Cronbach's alpha, intra-class correlation coefficient, and ANOVA test respectively.ROC curve was used to define cut-point and its validity in discrimination between groups. P-value < 0.05was considered significant.

RESULTS

The means for PLUTSS items were 6.8 (±5.4) for voiding dysfunction, 14.4(±5) for enuresis,10.5(±7.8) for recurrent and 8.9(±6) for single urinary tract infection, and 1.9(±1.8) for controls (p<0.001).Cronbach's alpha for the 14 items of questionnaire was 0.74. The intraclass coefficient correlation for assessingtest-retest reliability was 0.82 (p<0.001). ROC curve showed cut point of 5 for differing case from controls withsensitivity of 97.0 and specificity of 74.9(p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Persian translated PLUTSS has a proper validity and reliability as an instrument for screeningchildren with urinary tract symptoms but some questions need to be changed in some way to be understandableby our culture.

Toilet training in Iranian children: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

There is still controversy about the methods and the age of toilet training that are varied in different cultures. This is a survey of Iranian parents' views about the appropriate age, the true age, the methods used for toilet training, and the association with voiding problems.

METHODS

Questionnaires were filled-out containing items on demographic data, the parents' view, the method applied, and the age at which toilet training was accomplished in children aged 2 months to 5 years. In addition, pediatric lower urinary tract scoring system questionnaires were distributed among 217 children aged 5-15 years with lower urinary tract symptoms between 2008 and 2010 in outpatient clinics. P<0.05 was considered significant.

FINDINGS

566 children (335 girls and 231 boys) were assigned to the study. In asymptomatic group, the majority of parents believed that the appropriate age to start toilet training was 1-2 years. The method used by the parents was intensive in 52% and child-oriented in 44%. There was strong reverse correlation between the level of education of father with applying punishment for training and direct correlation between toilet refusal and the later age of completing toilet training (LR: 6.3, P<0.05). The mean age of completing toilet training was about 23 months in asymptomatic and 23.7 months in symptomatic children (P>0.05). There was no correlation between wetting episodes at day or night and the age of toilet training.

CONCLUSION

Intensive approach was more popular and the age of toilet training had no influence on the lower urinary tract symptoms.

The correlation between bladder volume wall index and the pattern of uroflowmetry/external sphincter electromyography in children with lower urinary tract malfunction

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between bladder volume wall index (BVWI) and the pattern of uroflowmetry in children with lower urinary tract malfunction.

PATIENTS & METHODS

91 children aged 4-15 years with history of bladder dysfunction and 59 age/sex-matched healthy children with negative urine culture in previous month were enrolled. Uroflowmetry and kidney and bladder sonography were performed in all children. BVWI was measured by dividing maximum bladder volume index by mean bladder thickness. It was expressed as percentage by dividing calculated BVWI by expected BVWI, and values between 70% and 130% were presumed normal. Urodynamic study was done in symptomatic cases.

RESULTS

The bladder was thick (<70%) in 39 (28 cases, 11 controls) and thin (>130%) in 35 (18 cases, 17 controls) (P > 0.05). Uroflowmetry was abnormal in 82 (61 cases, 21 controls) (P < 0.05). Severe sphincter dyssynergia was detected in 47% of cases compared with 20% of controls (P < 0.05).There was no relationship between BVWI and uroflowmetry in cases or in controls (P > 0.05). The median post-void residual urine was not statistically different between the groups (20 vs 12.3 ml) (P > 0.05). When both bladder sonography and uroflowmetry were abnormal, they had an association with abnormal urodynamics (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Among children with lower urinary tract dysfunction, the pattern of uroflowmetry could not be predicted from the BVWI, but in cases with combined abnormal bladder sonography and uroflowmetry results, there was a significant association with an abnormal urodynamic study.