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The technical difficulties of obtaining reliable recordings of bladder, rectal and detrusor pressures from patients who are standing, walking or exercising have been largely overcome by a method described in this paper. The recordings help us to understand the behaviour of the lower urinary tract during physical activity and are of value in the diagnosis of urological problems, especially incontinence.

Pressure in the vagina as well as within the bladder and rectum was measured during urodynamic investigations. Rectal pressure is normally used to represent changes in abdominal pressure which, when subtracted from the total bladder pressure, provides a method of assessing detrusor function. This study showed that vaginal pressure represented changes in abdominal pressure more accurately and consistently than did rectal pressure, and the vagina is therefore recommended as an alternative site in conducting urodynamic studies.