To explore the changes and clinical significance of bladder wall arterial blood flow velocity assessed by Doppler ultrasound in children with overactive bladder (OAB).

This retrospective study included 67 children with OAB and 44 healthy controls who underwent urinary tract examinations at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University between April and July 2024. All participants underwent color Doppler ultrasound to measure the peak arterial blood flow velocity of the anterior bladder wall. Laboratory findings and bladder wall thickness were recorded, and bladder capacity was calculated. Intergroup differences were analyzed using the Student′s t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square test. The diagnostic performance of bladder wall arterial peak flow velocity for pediatric OAB was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Spearman′s correlation was used to evaluate the relationship between bladder wall arterial blood flow velocity and other clinical parameters.

The detection rate [97.01%(65/67)] and peak velocity [13.80(10.75, 19.70)cm/s] of bladder wall arterial blood flow in the OAB group were significantly higher than those in the control group [75.00%(33/44), 11.00(8.45, 17.20)cm/s]. Furthermore, serum total IgE levels in the OAB group [55.24(22.27, 156.00)μmol/L] were significantly higher than those in the control group [34.80(11.09, 52.05)μmol/L]. All these differences were statistically significant (χ²=12.450, Z=2.075, 2.036, all P<0.05). Overall, children in the OAB group exhibited bladder wall faster blood flow velocities, predominantly concentrated in the range of 10-20 cm/s, with some velocities exceeding 30 cm/s. The distribution of bladder wall arterial blood flow velocities showed a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups (Z=-3.450, P< 0.01). The area under the ROC curve was 0.704 [95%CI(0.602-0.805), P< 0.01]. When the cutoff value was set at 9.70 cm/s, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were 79.10% and 56.80%, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between serum total IgE levels and the peak velocity of bladder wall arteries in both the OAB and control groups (r=0.329, 0.637, all P< 0.05).

An increased peak velocity of bladder wall arterial blood flow may be associated with the onset of OAB in children. Ultrasound examination of bladder wall blood flow is non-invasive and convenient, and it holds significant clinical value in the auxiliary diagnosis of pediatric OAB.