Uroflow (Urine Rate Flow Test) 尿液流速测试
I had a uroflow test done today at my local hospital with a very nice continence nurse. Uroflow is a urine flow rate test, to study the volume and force of urine that you void out during a specified time period. Your urologist or doctor may recommend a uroflow test if you have slow urination, a weak urine stream, or difficulty urinating. Your uroflow results can help your urologist/doctor determine how well your bladder and sphincter are performing and see if there could be anything obstructing your urine flow.
If you have been scheduled for a uroflow test, make sure you go to your appointment with a full bladder. I had an appointment today at 1:00pm. To ensure that my bladder was full, but not exploding full, my last void was at 10am. Then I drank 375ml at 10:15am, and then another 250ml at 12:00pm, to fill up my bladder slowly. The total that I drank was 625ml. By the time I got there at 1pm, my bladder was comfortably full.
You will be asked upon arrival to void into a special toilet that contains a measuring device in a private room. There is absolutely no risk with this procedure, nothing is going to be inserted into you at all, which was why I was happy to do this. The device measures the force of your urinary stream, so just pee like normal (don't strain and don't over-relax, just pee as you normally do at home). As I was on the funny looking toilet, I watched the computer chart my progress in real-time. There was a little blender-like looking contraption on a scale below my toilet. It measures the pressure and time of my urine. I was in the room alone; the nurse waited outside the door.
After your Uroflow study, a bladder scan (ultrasound) will be done to measure your post-void residual (PVR), or the amount of urine left in your bladder after voiding. The nurse said that a normal post-void is 30ml - 50ml. Mine was 65 ml so I know that I am not voiding as fully as a normal person, but I'm getting close! My stream was also slightly elongated and weak near the middle and end, but it has been a big improvement since my burning drips back in April.
