Non-Invasive Diagnosis of Stress Urinary Incontinence Sub Types Using Wavelet Analysis, Shannon Entropy and Principal Component Analysis

Abstract

Urinary incontinence is a common female disorder. Although generally not a serious condition, it negatively affects the lifestyle and daily activity of subjects. Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the most versatile of several incontinence types and is distinguished by physical degeneration of the continence-providing mechanism. Some surgical treatment methods exist, but the success of the surgery mainly depends upon a correct diagnosis. Diagnosis has two major steps: subjects who are suffering from true SUI must be identified, and the SUI sub-type must be determined, because each sub-type is treated with a different surgery. The first step is straightforward and uses standard identification methods. The second step, however, requires invasive, uncomfortable urodynamic studies that are difficult to apply. Many subjects try to cope with the disorder rather than seek treatment from health care providers, in part because of the invasive diagnostic methods. In this study, a diagnostic method with a success rate comparable to that of urodynamic studies is presented. This new method has some advantages over the current one. First, it is noninvasive; data are collected using Doppler ultrasound recording. Second, it requires no special tools and is easy to apply, relatively inexpensive, faster and more hygienic.