Quantitative evaluation of lower urinary tract symptoms using a visual analog scale in men undergoing permanent brachytherapy.
PURPOSE
A previous study showed that a visual analog scale (VAS) that measures quality of life (QOL) in relation to each of the seven items on the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) was found to be significantly more able to identify a patient's chief complaint. The aim of this study was to assess the two questionnaires with special reference to the symptom that the patient most wants treated via the concomitant use of the IPSS and VAS after permanent brachytherapy (PBT).


METHODS AND MATERIALS
A total of 156 men undergoing PBT were enrolled. The IPSS and VAS were evaluated at the preimplantation stage and at 1-3 months, 6-9 months, and 1 year after PBT. The correlations between the IPSS-QOL score and the total for the 14 symptoms questions included in the IPSS and VAS were statistically calculated. Multivariate analysis was used to investigate which factors could be used to predict the IPSS-QOL after PBT.


RESULTS
The correlation coefficients between the IPSS-QOL score and the seven questions on the VAS were higher than those between the IPSS-QOL and the seven questions on the IPSS. Multivariate analysis showed that the strongest factor for determining IPSS-QOL at each time point was nocturia on the VAS.


CONCLUSIONS
The VAS scale reflected the change in the patients' QOL more precisely than the IPSS, which examines the frequency of lower urinary tract symptoms. Nocturia plays a key role in determining QOL. VAS could be a promising tool for assessing satisfaction in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms after PBT.