Voiding efficiency in children is significantly impaired by the presence of the urethral catheter during pressure-flow studies.

Background: Little is known about the effect of catheterization during pressure-flow studies (PFS) on voiding efficiency in children. Our objective was to determine the effect of urethral catheterization on Qmax and flow index (FI) during PFS compared to the free flow of uroflowmetry (UF).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 63 consecutive children who underwent UF and PFS at our center on the same day (2019-2022).