Functional assessment of urinary incontinence: the perineal pad test

Abstract

Perineal pad tests are simple, noninvasive functional tests which have been recommended for the evaluation of patients with urinary incontinence. Most are based on the one-hour pad test introduced by Sutherst and co-workers and standardized by the International Continence Society. The major problem with the one-hour pad test is its lack of sensitivity. Therefore a stringent test procedure was developed, whereby the limit of patient tolerance was reached. Mean end volumes of 568 ml (648 ml) immediately after the test (retest) confirmed that the patients had been examined with full bladders. Yet one in three of the incontinent patients remained dry during formal assessment. The use of the one-hour perineal pad test for clinical or research purposes should be seriously questioned.