Special considerations in the pediatric patient
Management of children presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms presents a unique challenge as their bladder function can be at any point along the spectrum of maturation; from immature infantile voiding physiology to that of an adult. Urodynamics (UDS) provides quantitative measurements of bladder function and can be of critical importance in identifying which of the myriad causes of pediatric voiding pathology may be affecting a particular patient. The most frequent use of UDS in pediatrics is in the management of children with chronic conditions, including neurogenic disorders and anatomic outlet anomalies that affect voiding physiology. These patients often require testing to define their baseline functioning and then later to assess treatment results and follow changes that occur with maturation. UDS in children also presents unique challenges such as emotional immaturity and a child's varying ability to cooperate; additionally, with age comes changing physiology in the patient making study goals and parameters vary from adult UDS studies.
