Simple Modification of the Bladder Outlet Obstruction Index for Better Prediction of Endoscopically-Proven Prostatic Obstruction: A Preliminary Study

PURPOSE: The bladder outlet obstruction index (BOOI), also known as the Abrams-Griffiths (AG) number, is the most widely used index for predicting BOO. However, the obstructed prostatic urethra determined by the BOOI is often inconsistent with endoscopically-proven obstruction. We assessed abdominal straining pattern as a novel parameter for improving the prediction of BOO. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the pressure-flow studies (PFS) and cystourethroscopy in 176 BPH/LUTS patients who were unresponsive to medical therapy. During PFS, some groups of patients tried to urinate with abdominal straining, which can increases intravesical pressure and underestimate BOOI theoretically. Accordingly, the modified BOOI was defined as (P(det)Q(max)+ΔP(abd))-2Q(max). RESULTS: Ultimately, 130 patients were eligible for the analysis. In PFS, ΔP(abd) (P(abd)Q(max)-initial P(abd)) was 11.81±13.04 cmH(2)O, and it was 0–9 cmH(2)O in 75 (57.7%), 10–19 cmH(2)O in 23 (17.7%) and ≥20 cmH(2)O in 32 (24.6%) patients. An endoscopically obstructed prostatic urethra in 92 patients was correctly determined in 47 patients (51.1%) by the original BOOI versus 72 patients (78.3%) based on the modified BOOI. Meanwhile, an “unobstructed” urethra according to the original BOOI was present in 11 patients (12.0%), whereas according to the modified BOOI, only 2 (2.1%) would be labeled as “unobstructed”. In receiver operating characteristic curves, the area under the curve was 0.906 using the modified BOOI number versus 0.849 in the original BOOI (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The change in abdominal pressure was correlated with endoscopically-proven obstruction. Our simple modification of the BOOI on the basis of this finding better predicted bladder outlet obstruction and, therefore, should be considered when evaluating BOO in patients with LUTS/BPH.