ELECTROVESICOGRAPHY IN BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

The electric activity of the urinary bladder (UB) as demonstrated by e lectrovesicogram (EVG) was studied in 26 patients with benign prostati c hyperplasia (BPH) and in 10 healthy volunteers. Ten of the BPN patie nts were in the compensated stage and 16 were in the decompensated sta ge. Three electrodes were applied to the skin of the hypogastric area and one reference electrode was applied to the lower limb. Recordings were made from the full and empty UB and after the residual urine had been evacuated. In healthy volunteers, pacesetter potentials (PPs) wer e recorded as triphasic waves from the full and empty UB. Amplitudes w ere lower in the empty than in the full UB (p < .05), and were reprodu cible in the individual subject. The EVG of the compensated prostatic patients showed, in both the full and empty UB, PPs of higher frequenc y, amplitude, and velocity than that of the controls (p < .01 and p < .05, respectively), a condition called ''tachyvesica.'' In the decompe nsated prostatic patients, the EVG showed a bradyarrhythmic pattern in the full UB and a silent pattern in the empty UB. It would appear tha t EVG recorded for BPH could be used to differentiate the compensated from the decompensated hyperplastic prostate. The technique is simple, easy, noninvasive, nonradiologic, and without complications when comp ared with other investigative methods.