Development of Uroflowmetry Nomograms for Healthy Young Pakistani Men

Abstract

Objective: To develop age-specific uroflowmetry nomograms and percentile reference values for Qmax, Qave, voided volume and voiding time in healthy Pakistani men aged 20–40 years.

Methdodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Urology at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, from March 2024 to September 2024. Through non-probability consecutive sampling, 200 young men within the age group of 20-40 years, with IPSS score of less than <7, free of any urological disease, having normal digital rectal examination, and voided volume of >150 ml were selected. Uroflowmetry test was done using the calibrated Dantec Menuet uroflowmeter. The age-specific percentile values were calculated and represented graphically.

Results: From 218 men recruited for testing, 200 were enrolled. The average age of participants was 29.4±5.8 years, while the average body mass index was 24.1±3.2 kg/m2. The mean value of Qmax among these subjects was 22.6±4.3 ml/sec; the average Qave was 11.8±2.6 ml/s; voided volume, 318.4±72.1 ml; and voiding time, 28.7±7.4 sec. The value of Qmax at the 50th percentile decreased steadily from 25.1 ml/sec among those aged 20–24 years to 20.4 ml/sec among those aged 35–40 years. The correlation between Qmax and age was significantly negative (r=-0.31, p<0.001). The values of Qmax among Pakistani men exceeded those predicted by the Liverpool nomogram by 12-18% at each age level (p<0.001).

Conclusion: Healthy young Pakistani males have their own unique pattern of uroflowmetry that differs markedly from the established Western nomograms.