The underactive bladder: detection and diagnosis

The inability to generate a voiding contraction sufficient to allow efficient bladder emptying within a reasonable time frame is a common problem seen in urological practice. Typically, the symptoms that arise are voiding symptoms, such as weak and slow urinary flow. These symptoms can cause considerable bother to patients and impact upon quality of life. The urodynamic finding of inadequate detrusor contraction has been termed detrusor underactivity (DUA). Although a definition is available for this entity, there are no widely accepted diagnostic criteria. Drawing parallels to detrusor overactivity and the overactive bladder, the symptoms arising from DUA have been referred to as the “underactive bladder” (UAB), while attempts to crystallize the definition of UAB are now ongoing. In this article, we review the contemporary literature pertaining to the epidemiology and etiopathogenesis of DUA as well as discuss the definitional aspects that are currently under consideration.