What is a flowmetry?

A flowmetry or uroflowmetry is a test that is performed, usually in the consultation of the Urologist in patients with men or women who have difficulty urinating. This test is performed routinely to patients who are in check of prostate in order to assess whether they urinate properly.

The technical definition of uroflowmetry is the volume urination (urine) eliminated per unit time and is expressed in ml per second. The flow voiding is not constant, this is modified along the urination, causing a flow curves features.

In this test seeks to measure the amount of urine that the patient's bladder is capable of ejecting per second, double check the length of urination and any intermittent flow.

This way you will know the capacity of the bladder, the state of the urinary tract and the strength of the muscles urinary tract.

It is important to measure the residual post-voiding, that is to say, the amount of urine left in the bladder at the end of the test uroflujometria.

¿What parameters can be measured in a flowmetry?

• The maximum flow (Qmax): is the maximum value reached for the flow of urine during urination.
• The volume voiding: Amount of urine eliminated during the urination
• The flow time: It is the sum of all the time during which the patient is urinating
• The time micción: Elapsed time since the patient starts to urinate until it ends. This time coincides with the flow time, provided that there is no interruption of the urinary stream.

How to make a flowmetry?

The procedure to perform a flowmetry is simple: the patient has to pee in a device (toilet special) and/or in a funnel meter (flujometros).

The result of this test is a graphic that appears reflected in the volume of urine in front of the time it took.

 This quiz requires you to urinate in the normal way and is not painful.

What preparation I need to do for this test?

It is recommended to get a consultation with urination and to warn personnel when have cravings usual urination, avoiding to be at maximum capacity (never “bursting”) given that the test would be altered.

This is not a valid test with a small amount of urine or it is when the bladder is at its maximum amount, and the patient may not endure longer.

When it is desirable to repeat the test?

It is recommended to repeat the flowmetry when it does not reach a volume of urination greater than 150 cm³, or the patient you have made force to the abdomen to get a jet stronger. Nor it is useful when you have filled the bladder beyond the maximum of their ability.

Residue Post-Voiding

The residue postmiccional is the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after urinating. Usually a Urologist should always know what residue of the patient because it is also indicative of possible problems voiding. A residue well above the 20% to 30% of the volume that is urine can be pathological and may be causing a chronic damage in the urinary tract if it is not fixed.

As usual, more practical, fast, and measuring the residue is by placing the transducer in the lower part of the abdomen to record the volume of residual urine.