Utility of the American Urological Association symptom index in the diagnosis of women with voiding dysfunction

The objective of the study was to determine the applicability of the American Urological Association (AUA) symptom index to the assessment and treatment of women with voiding dysfunction while investigating the specificity of the index to men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).One hundred and two consecutive adult patients (45 females, 57 males) with symptoms of dysfunctional micturition were prospectively evaluated using both the AUA symptom index and videourodynamic studies. According to urodynamic criteria, the patients were placed into three groups: 45 women with stress incontinence and/or detrusor instability but without bladder outlet obstruction (BOO); 23 men with detrusor instability (DI) without BOO; and 34 men with BPH and BOO. Correlation between symptom index scores and patient characteristics were examined. The mean index score for the 45 women was 17.0 (range 4–33). In contrast, the men scored mean values of 18.9 (range 7–28) and 20.5 (range 12–27) for the BPH with BOO and DI without BOO groups, respectively. The total score was statistically correlated with age, duration of bladder symptoms, cystometric capacity and maximum urine flow rate.The quantification of voiding symptoms, using the AUA symptom index, yields strikingly similar results in both women and men with voiding dysfunction, despite vastly different bladder and urethral pathologies. The etiology of voiding symptoms, whether detrusor dysfunction or bladder outlet obstruction, cannot be determined by the AUA symptom index. The index should, however, prove to be useful in evaluating treatment outcome in both men and women with voiding dysfunction.