Examination of the relationship between post-voiding residual urine volume and patient-reported urinary symptoms in postmenopausal women.

introduction and hypothesisPost-void residual (PVR) urine volume is routinely evaluated in women with urinary incontinence and/or pelvic organ prolapse (POP). However, its clinical relevance in postmenopausal women without these conditions remains insufficiently defined. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the association between PVR volume and patient-reported urinary symptom burden, as measured by the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), in postmenopausal women without urinary incontinence or prolapse. A secondary objective was to descriptively compare PVR volumes and uroflowmetry parameters between women reporting no urinary impact and those reporting mild-to-moderate impact.

methodsSeventy postmenopausal women evaluated at the Gynecology and Urogynecology Clinics of Karadeniz Technical University Faculty of Medicine between 2022 and 2024 were enrolled in this cross-sectional observational study. Demographic data, uroflowmetry parameters, PVR volumes measured by transabdominal ultrasonography, and KHQ scores were recorded. Participants were stratified according to their response to a global KHQ impact item reflecting perceived urinary burden. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS, with significance set at p < 0.05. No a priori sample size or power calculation was performed, and the study should therefore be interpreted as exploratory. Correlation coefficients and 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

resultsThe mean age of participants was 55.5 ± 4.1 years. As expected based on the stratification criterion, women reporting urinary impact demonstrated higher KHQ domain scores. However, no statistically significant differences were observed between groups in uroflowmetry parameters or PVR volumes. Furthermore, no significant correlations were identified between PVR volume and KHQ scores in the overall cohort (p > 0.05). All correlations were weak and confidence intervals crossed zero.

conclusionsIn this exploratory cross-sectional cohort of postmenopausal women without incontinence or prolapse, no statistically significant association was detected between PVR volume and patient-reported urinary impact. Given the limited sample size, exploratory symptom stratification, and use of a predominantly incontinence-oriented questionnaire, these findings should be interpreted as inconclusive rather than confirmatory of absence of association. In addition, the use of the King's Health Questionnaire, which is primarily designed for urinary incontinence, may have limited the ability to capture voiding-specific symptoms. Larger, methodologically standardized studies are warranted to clarify the role of PVR in this population.