Test-retest reproducibility of the Multiple Array Probe Leiden (MAPLe) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms

Goes S1, Notenboom-Nas F1, Knol-de Vries G1, Witte L2, Blanker M1

Research Type

Clinical

Abstract Category

Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) / Voiding Dysfunction

Abstract 216
Male Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms 1
Scientific Podium Short Oral Session 11
Wednesday 4th September 2019
16:37 - 16:45
Hall K
New Devices Pelvic Floor Male
1.The University Medical Center Groningen, Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands., 2.Isala Zwolle, Department of Urology, Zwolle, the Netherlands.
Presenter
Links

Abstract

Hypothesis / aims of study
Pelvic floor disorders are a hidden epidemic, associated with substantial stress and profound economic burden. Assessment of pelvic floor muscle (PFM) activity is difficult, due to a lack of simple to use and reliable measurement techniques. The Multiple Array Probe Leiden (MAPLe) enables assessment of PFM activity and is capable of differentiating between muscle groups (1). Test-retest repeatability, performed on 20 healthy subjects, turned out to be moderate to excellent (1). Although the MAPLe is already in use in both clinical and research settings, we are unaware of studies examining the reliability of this probe among symptomatic patients. We aimed to evaluate the test-retest reproducibility of the MAPLe in male patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
Study design, materials and methods
Between April and October 2018, consecutive men aged ≥18 and referred to the urology department for moderate to severe LUTS were recruited. After informed consent, men completed symptom scores and underwent standardized physical examination and uroflowmetry. Next, an anal MAPLe measurement was carried out in supine position, according to the manufacturers’ protocol. This included three tasks: one minute rest, maximum voluntary contractions (MVC) and endurance contractions (EC). The summarizing result included a visual display and several variables: mean microvoltage (µV) during rest, and mean µV, maximum (max) µV and onset and offset time during MVC and EC. The urologist decided which treatment was initiated. Irrespective of the treatment choice, all men were re-assessed after approximately 6-8 weeks. For this substudy, we selected men with a wait-and-see approach or α-blocker therapy, assuming that pelvic floor function was not affected in these groups. MAPLe measurements with errors were excluded. 
We calculated the average of the two assessments for each outcome, and as a measure of relative variability we estimated the coefficient of variation (CV) as standard deviation/mean*100. Possible systematic errors were visualized using Bland-Altman Plots. Spearman correlation coefficient (SCC) was used to determine correlation, which was categorized as: <0.30 negligible, 0.30-0.50 low, 0.50-0.70 moderate, 0.70-0.90 high and >0.90 very high correlation. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to determine consistency, which was categorized as: <0.50 poor; 0.50-0.75 moderate, 0.75-0.90 good and >0.90 excellent consistency. Due to small sample sizes, data were expressed as median and interquartile range. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS® version 24.0 for Windows.
Results
The study population included 57 men with moderate to severe LUTS, of whom 10 with wait-and-see and 11 with α-blocker therapy were selected for the test-retest assessment. Table 1 shows patient characteristics and average outcomes for both groups.
In the α-blocker group Bland-Altman plots illustrated systematic error with overall lower max µV and higher onset and offset times during the second measurement. In the wait-and-see group proportional error was shown for EC (mean µV) and MVC (offset time). 
Overall, the reproducibility seemed poor according to the CV, SCC and ICC. The outcomes of max µV and onset times particularly showed high variation, low to weak correlation and poor consistency in both groups. On the other hand, the mean µV, especially in rest and EC, showed reasonable variations, moderate to high correlation and moderate to good consistency. The offset time outcomes varied in both treatment groups.
Interpretation of results
This is the first study to examine the test-retest reproducibility of the MAPLe in men with LUTS. Our results showed poor test-retest reproducibility for the majority of outcomes of the MAPLe assessment. 
We feel that these results must be interpreted with caution, due to the small sample sizes, which has led to wide confidence intervals. It is yet unclear whether this outcome reflects a true problem with the MAPLe method itself or the influence of other confounding factors. For example, the poor reproducibility might be caused by incorrect PFM contractions during testing and a learning effect of the participants. Another possible confounder is real change in PFM activity over time due to long follow up time and/or treatment.
Concluding message
Although MAPLe enables assessment of PFM activity of different muscle groups (1), our study showed that it might be too early to use MAPLe to evaluate treatment response. In men with LUTS, test-retest analyses showed considerable variation between tests irrespective of a wait-and-see policy or α-blocker therapy. Future research should focus on improving the reproducibility of this innovative EMG probe.
Figure 1 Table 1 – Characteristics and average, CV, SCC and ICC values for each MAPLe variable
References
  1. Voorham-van der Zalm PJ, Voorham JC, Van Den Bos TWL, et al. Reliability and differentiation of pelvic floor muscle electromyography measurements in healthy volunteers using a new device: the Multiple Array Probe Leiden (MAPLe). Neurourol Urodyn. 2013;32(4):341–8.
Disclosures
Funding None Clinical Trial No Subjects Human Ethics Committee Medical Ethical Committee of Isala Zwolle Helsinki Yes Informed Consent Yes
20/10/2024 04:59:13