Urinary incontinence diagnostic system

A system for evaluating female urinary incontinence, comprising:

• a catheter having at least one pressure sensor positioned thereon;
• and
• a catheter holder adapted to support the catheter and to allow movement of the catheter in response to a pelvic pressure pulse, wherein the movement of the catheter tracks movement of the urethra of a patient during a pelvic pressure pulse.

The system of claim 40, wherein the catheter positioning surface comprises:

• a high friction surface of the catheter for engaging the surrounding urethra.

The system of claim 41, further comprising:

• a removable sheath positioned over the high friction surface of the catheter.

A data system for use with a mechanism for diagnosing urinary incontinence of a patient, the mechanism producing a pressuregram indicating a pressuregram slope defined by a change of vesicle pressure of the patient relative to a change of urethral pressure of the patient, the vesicle and urethral pressures being measured with a catheter system having a distal end and a proximal end, the data system comprising:

• a processor coupled to the catheter for receiving a vesicle pressure signal and a urethral pressure signal, the processor generating a pressuregram dataset in real time at least in part from the vesicle and urethral pressure signals;
• and
• a display coupled to the processor so as to generate a real time image of the pressuregram from the pressuregram dataset, the display visible from adjacent the proximal end of the catheter.

A system for treatment of urinary stress incontinence of a patient, the patient having a tissue comprising or support the urethra, the bladder neck, or the bladder, the system comprising:

• a diagnostic system including a urethral pressure sensor, a bladder pressure sensor, and a processor coupled to the sensors, the processor generating an output indicating a desired remodeling of the tissue of the patient;
• and
• a probe having an energy transmitting element that controllably delivers energy to the tissue so as to effect the desired remodeling such that the incontinence is inhibited.

A method for treatment of urinary stress incontinence of a patient, the method comprising:

• sensing a bladder pressure and a urethral pressure;
• determining a desired remodeling of a tissue comprising or supporting a urethra, a bladder neck, and/or a bladder of the patient from the bladder pressure and the urethral pressure;
• effecting the desired remodeling of the tissue so that the incontinence is inhibited.

A method for treatment of urinary stress incontinence of a patient, wherein a pressuregram of the patient indicates urethral pressure of the patient differs from a vesicle pressure of the patient by a continence margin, the pressuregram having a pressuregram slope defined by change of the vesicle pressure relative to change of the urethral pressure, the pressuregram slope being such that the vesicle pressure will exceed the urethral pressure of the patient above an equilibrium pressure, the method comprising:

• determining a desired change in a support tissue comprising or supporting the urethra based at least in part on at least one parameter selected from the group comprising the equilibrium pressure, the continence margin, and the pressuregram slope;
• and
• remodeling the support tissue by the desired change from the determining step.