| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 應用力學研究所 === 99 === Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are a common disease which is used to be known as prostatism. Not only older men undergo these symptoms, some children and women also suffer the problem. Symptoms can be categorized into irritative symptoms (or storage symptoms) and obstructive symptoms (or voiding symptoms). Irritative symptoms include frequency, urgency, nocturia, and obstructive symptoms include hesitancy, small caliber of urine, intermittency, residual urine sensation.
LUTS is majorly caused by prostate hyperplasia and weakening of the detrusor. Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease which is highly prevalent in elderly male. During the aging process, benign hyperplasia of prostatic tissue creates additional pressure to the urethra which increases total resistance of voiding. Furthermore, serious prostatic hyperplasia will cause bladder outlet obstruction (BOO). Weakening of the detrusor can be reasoned by aging or some unknown detrusor diseases. Decreased bladder contractility provides lower pressure and causes poor urine flow. This two factors can occur simultaneous or independently. To ascertain the causes doctors need to perform a conventional treatment called pressure flow study (PFS) which including invasive treatment that may bring some side effects. The uncomfortableness and the risks of side effects considerably lower patients’ will to receive the treatment.
This research aims to develop a comfortable, noninvasive measurement for patients who suffer LUTS. Consider two factors are to be determined, the main idea is to design a dynamic device to measure two different flow rates which provides data to calculate unknowns. Activation mechanism was applied to achieve the goal of changing flow characteristic of voiding process. Therefore, different flow rates can be measured in a single urine void.
Results showed that the device successfully varied the fluid mechanics of voiding and two different flow rates were measured. Human experiments further proofed the efficacy of device. This measurement is non-invasive, comfortable, easy to operate and without any side effect. Future work includes calculation of bladder pressure and prostate characteristics. Clinical data are needed to demonstrate efficacy.
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