Ahmet Yüce, Hilal Altaş, Dilek Başar, Erdal Benli̇, Ahmet Anil Acet, Abdullah Çırakoğlu
We aimed to examine whether blood flow in the internal iliac artery differs between patients with overactive bladder (OAB) and healthy individuals and to investigate whether reduced pelvic blood flow plays a role in OAB. 42 patients diagnosed with OAB and 42 healthy controls were included in the study. Their general health status, habits, biochemical, and behavioral data were examined. Blood flow in the internal iliac artery was assessed using Doppler ultrasonography. Peak systolic velocity (Vmax), end-diastolic velocity (Vmin), resistive index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) were measured and compared between the groups. The groups were similar in terms of age, comorbidities, habits, and biochemical parameters. In the OAB and control groups, the Vmax value of the right iliac artery was measured as 95.28 ± 11.48 to 116.17 ± 17.93 ( p < 0.001), and the Vmin value of the left iliac artery was measured as 18.01 ± 4.41 to 21.14 ± 4.91 ( p = 0.003). The calculated RI values were found to be 0.82 ± 0.05 vs. 0.79 ± 0.05 ( p = 0.015) on the right side and 0.83 ± 0.05 vs. 0.80 ± 0.06 ( p = 0.016) on the left side in the OAB and control groups. The PI value was found to be 4.38 ± 0.74 and 3.87 ± 0.65 on the right side ( p < 0.001). In this study, Doppler flow patterns suggestive of increased vascular resistance and altered pelvic vascular hemodynamics were observed in the OAB group. These findings may indicate an association between pelvic vascular alterations and OAB. Measurement of internal iliac artery blood flow using Doppler ultrasonography may represent a promising adjunctive imaging approach for investigating vascular factors associated with OAB.