Basic diagnosis

A urinalysis is carried out to further clarify the diagnosis. This involves collecting urine either as what is known as midstream urine (urine collected directly into a beaker) or via a catheter from the urinary bladder. The purpose of the urinalysis is to rule out or confirm the presence of a urinary tract infection, which in itself can be a cause of urinary incontinence.

The subsequent physical examination can provide important information about the mobility as well as the mental and physical state of the patient. In women, a vaginal examination is also carried out in order to screen for a prolapsed uterus or a tissue weakness of the anterior and/or posterior vaginal wall. In men, a careful examination of the external genitalia is accompanied by an inspection of the rectum and prostate using a finger (rectal digital palpation), which can show a prostatis or prostate cancer as a cause of urge incontinence.

For further clarification of the cause, the simplest of the techniques known as "imaging" diagnostics is the use of ultrasound (sonography). This allows an examination of residual urine formation to be carried out reliably and entirely without stress. In some cases, a cystoscopic examination might also be necessary in order to rule out specific types of bladder inflammation as well as bladder cancer. This also allows anatomical changes such as urethral restriction or any muscle thickening inside the bladder to be identified.