FACTORS MAINTAINING THE INTRA-URETHRAL PRESSURE IN WOMEN

Abstract

To determine the components of the intraurethral pressure at rest, 5 continent women were studied with simultaneous urethrocystometry, including urethal pressure profile measurements, before, during, and after curarization, as well as after clamping of the arterial blood supply to the urethra. The striated muscle component in the urethra and pelvic floor is responsible for 1/3 of the total intraurethral pressure. Another 1/3 is exerted by the urethral vascular bed. The remaining 1/3 is most probably attributable to the smooth musculature and connective tissues in the urethra and the periurethral tissues.