Systematic review of the accuracy of ultrasound as the method of measuring bladder wall thickness in the diagnosis of detrusor overactivity

A systematic review was carried out to study the hypothesis that bladder wall thickness (BWT) on ultrasound is accurate in diagnosing detrusor overactivity (DO). Databases were searched from database inception to January 2009. Two reviewers independently selected articles and extracted data on study characteristics, quality and results. Five out of 190 screened studies were included. There were variations in the quality, methods of performing the ultrasound and urodynamics studies, and the format of reporting findings. BWT was more in women with DO than those with other types of incontinence in four out of five studies. Using a 5-mm cutoff (two studies), sensitivity varied between 40% and 84%, and specificity 78-89%. There is lack of data to reliably estimate accuracy of BWT in DO.