Overview consensus statement.

T first international conference on New Perspectives on the Overactive Bladder, cochaired by David R. Staskin, MD, and Alan J. Wein, MD, was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 8 to 9, 2002. Conference participants were selected based on their contributions to the basic or clinical understanding of overactive bladder (OAB) and included internationally recognized specialists in urology, urologic surgery, urogynecology, urodynamics, geriatrics, pediatrics, clinical pharmacology, and behavioral science. The conference was organized with the objective of sharing data and perspectives on new advances in evaluating the pharmacology of treating OAB. The conference format combined brief scientific reports with extended periods of open discussion. Throughout, the conference chairs asked the participants to provide insight on the following key questions: • Given that there are multiple causes for OAB symptoms, is there a preferred way to define the condition? • Is OAB a different condition in different patients (eg, children, men, or women, or in those with and without obstruction)? • What does the sensation of urgency mean? • Is OAB a myogenic or neurogenic disease? • How should we diagnose and categorize OAB, both for reversible and irreversible treatment, given its multiple origins and limited diagnostic sensitivity and specificity? • Is it important to differentiate the type of OAB based on its cause, given that today treatments are similar, regardless of cause? • Are combination therapies effective in the treatment of OAB? • What are the other promising therapies for investigation? • How can we best clinically study new agents to compare and contrast them with existing choices? • How should other forms of therapy be used?