THE EFFECT OF PHARMACOLOGICAL STIMULATION AND BLOCKADE OF AUTONOMIC RECEPTORS ON THE URETHRAL PRESSURE AND POWER-GENERATION DURING COUGHINGAND SQUEEZING OF THE PELVIC FLOOR IN HEALTHY FEMALES

The effect of autonomic receptor agonists and antagonists on the ureth ral pressure and power generation during coughing and squeezing of the pelvic floor has been evaluated in 30 healthy females. The measuremen ts were carried out at the bladder neck, in the high pressure zone, an d distally in the urethra. The used drugs (noradrenaline, prazosin, te rbutaline, propranolol, carbachol and atropine) caused no significant change in the pressure and power generation. The clinically relevant i nfluence of drugs on the urethral closure function should be re-apprai sed when based on profilometry in the resting state. The results suppo rt that the effect of the autonomic nervous system on the urethral clo sure function is insignificant in healthy women. They furthermore indi cate that investigations on the ability to secure continence cannot be based solely on resting pressure profilome try, but should be accompl ished by measurements during stress episodes.