Measuring bladder volume is essential to assess bladder function for diagnosis and monitoring of lower urinary tract dysfunction, but currently available methods such as catheterization or ultrasonography are invasive and limited to the hospital setting. In a new study published in Nature Communications, a wireless and flexible ultrasonic bladder volume monitoring (UBVM) device was developed for continuous monitoring of bladder volume. The main advantage of this UBVM over currently available technologies is the wireless and wearable design, which eliminates the need for wired connections and enables unobtrusive measurements. This UBVM device combines flexible transducers with integrated electronics, in turn increasing accuracy. Using this UBVM in vivo in healthy volunteers resulted in a bladder volume estimation with a mean relative error of 11.17%. Pending comprehensive validation in a wide range of patients, this device has the potential to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of different lower urinary tract dysfunctions.

测量膀胱容量对于评估膀胱功能以诊断和监测下尿路功能障碍至关重要，但目前可用的方法（例如导管插入术或超声检查）是侵入性的，并且仅限于医院环境。在《自然通讯》杂志上发表的一项新研究中，开发了一种无线灵活的超声波膀胱容量监测（UBVM）设备，用于连续监测膀胱容量。与当前可用技术相比，该 UBVM 的主要优点是无线和可穿戴设计，无需有线连接并可实现不引人注目的测量。该 UBVM 设备将灵活的传感器与集成电子设备相结合，从而提高了精度。在健康志愿者体内使用这种 UBVM 得出的膀胱体积估计值的平均相对误差为 11.17%。该装置有待在广泛的患者中进行全面验证，有潜力协助诊断和治疗不同的下尿路功能障碍。