Integration of spectroscopy and imaging to optimize evaluation of voiding dysfunction

Article type: Review Article

Authors: Stothers, Lynn^{a; *} | Macnab, Andrew^b

Affiliations: [a] Department of Urologic Sciences, University of British Columbia, Canada | [b] International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Canada

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 604 708 0748; Fax: +1 604 802 8763; E-mail: lynns@mail.ubc.ca.

Abstract: Voiding dysfunction occurs due to the interplay of anatomic, physiologic and functional elements. Hence, integration of new imaging and spectroscopy modalities offers the potential for improving patient assessment by enabling the causal structural defects, formal staging of pelvic floor dysfunction and underlying physiologic mechanisms to be better defined. The purpose of this review is to outline the limitations of current imaging, and highlight the advantages of newer technologies in the evaluation of patients with voiding dysfunction due to loss of structural integrity of the pelvic floor.

Keywords: fNIRS, fMRI, MRI, MRO, NIRS, pelvis, prolapse, voiding dysfunction

DOI: 10.3233/BSI-160149

Journal: Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 283-294, 2016