Is intra-bladder pressure measurement a reliable indicator for raised intra-abdominal pressure? A prospective comparative study.

Background: Intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) can be measured by several indirect methods; however, the urinary bladder is largely preferred. The aim of this study was to compare intra-bladder pressure (IBP) at different levels of IAPs and assess its reliability as an indirect method for IAP measurement.

Methods: We compared IBP with IAP in twenty-one patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy under general anesthesia.