Preoperative chest physiotherapy reduced the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications and improved mobilization and oxygen saturation after major abdominal surgery.

To evaluate the reproducibility, sensitivity, and accuracy of a short, provocative pad-test designed for quantification of urine loss in stress urinary incontinence, 50 women underwent two separate, standardised tests. The tests were performed as part of the urodynamic examination at a bladder volume that is half of the cystometric capacity.A good correlation between the two tests was found (r = 0.94). The test was found to be provocative enough to reveal even slight stress incontinence. There were no falsenegative results. The test correlated well to the patient's own assessment of urine loss and to the patient's daily symptoms. It was readily performed for the patient as well as the investigator.This provocative test seems practical and is reliable enough for quantification of stress urine loss in scientific studies.

One hundred and seventy women with genuine stress urinary incontinence participated in a pelvic floor exercise (PFE) programme (duration 4.7 +/- 0.2 months, range 1-18). Twenty-seven women awaiting surgery for genuine stress urinary incontinence constituted the control group. The women were evaluated using a provocation test, vaginal palpation and subjective assessment before and after treatment. After the PFE programme, 23% of the women considered themselves cured, 48% were improved and 29% unchanged. According to the provocation test used in this study 64% were cured or improved following PFE. The long-term results of PFE were assessed by means of a postal questionnaire 2 to 7 years after completion of the supervised training period (response rate 152/170; 89%). During this time 38 women (25%) had undergone operative treatment. Of the remaining patients, 13 (11%) reported that they were still cured, 50 (44%) continued to be improved, 35 (31%) were unchanged and 16 (14%) had deteriorated. However, the frequency of PFE training during the follow-up period was unsatisfactory, as only 15% were training several times a day. This indicates that continued guidance from a physiotherapist could improve the long-term efficacy of PFE training.