A wearable UBVM device to monitor bladder volume

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.