ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present clinical research is to analyze, in the light of the best scientific evidence, the performance and the cost of the main diagnostic tools for overactive bladder (OAB). METHODS: It is an exploratory transversal study in which 199 women diagnosed of OAB between 2006 and 2008 were selected and underwent to following prospective analyses: physical examination, urine analysis, micturition diary (MD) and urodynamic study (UDS). A percentage of 80% was assumed as highly sensitive and a diagnostic difference among tests of 10% would be considered clinically relevant. Tests' sensitivity for diagnosis of OAB was statistically established by two ways: isolated and combined. Besides, the direct and indirect costs of these tests performance were conducted. Cost-effectiveness study of clinical history (CH), MD and US for the diagnosis of OAB was performed. RESULTS: Overall sensitivity for OAB diagnosis is low for the 3 tests used in isolated way, whilst the combination of any two tests shows good overall sensitivity. The combination of CH and MD has appeared as the most cost-effective alternative to OAB diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: For OAB diagnosis, CH-DM combination shows the same sensitivity than the association of either of them with the UDS, but unlike to these, it shows the lowest cost.