To me, Urodynamics (UDS) is a study which explains the pathophysiology of many lower urinary tract symptoms and some upper urinary tract ailments. Many make it into a voodoo science and complicate it enough that most students and residents run away from it.

This manual is intended for all the students and practitioners of urology, urogynecology and gynecology, who are interested in UDS. It is well-illustrated and explains various topics related to urology in an easy-to-understand language. It is full of clinical examples with illustrative cases. The reader will be able to walk the path from initial assessment with a bladder diary to complex multichannel VUDS with the help of this manual. It also clarifies several obscure urodynamic theories and introduces novel and useful concepts (e.g. volume-normalized flow-rate index and micturitional UPP). Emphasis has been laid on making an individualized choice of different urodynamic studies using appropriate examples. He has tried to describe some difficult concepts (e.g. Schafer nomogram DAMPF) in simple language.

I have had the privilege of watching Dr Agarwal first-hand and interacted with him at numerous conferences. He has an indepth knowledge of the subject but, most importantly, he has the desire to teach and share his knowledge with many. He does so by involving the learners in the learning process rather than talk to them.

This concise book should be a handy guide for many.

UDS has long borne a tag of being impractical/too difficult for ‘routine clinical practice’ by most urologists and, therefore, not used optimally. Moreover, there has been confusion prevailing amongst the practitioners of the craft regarding the indications of and definitions used in various urodynamic studies. The lack of interest of urologists in this marvelous ‘art’ is not entirely ill found, since there actually is a large gray area concerning indications, performance, definition and interpretation of various aspects. Over the years of my training and practice, through studies, research, interactions with experts in the field and keen observations of patients’ clinical picture, I, along with my colleagues, have been able to unfold several obscurities. While writing this Manual of Urodynamics, I have kept the following goals in mind:

To accomplish the goals and for interesting reading, the whole book has been made full of graphs, images, explanations and examples. There is a full chapter on representative clinical cases, in which I have shown how the clinical query was generated and how the appropriately performed UDS could help make clinical decisions.

Urodynamics is an interesting and illustrative science with a lot of scope for discussion. The expected readership of this manual is students, practitioners as well as researchers of Urology, Urogynecology and Gynecology at all stages of their career, if they have an inclination of proper management of patients with lower urinary tract symptoms. After reading this book, several concepts will be clarified. Nevertheless, new queries will be generated. It will be my utmost pleasure to respond to any queries, comments, complaints and suggestions of my dear readers.

My lovely wife Dr Niti and children Aryan and Atharv are my ultimate source of inspiration and encouragement in whatever I do, including this work. I cannot describe gratitude towards my and my wife's parents in words for being always there and for their unspoken appreciation and encouragement.

Lastly, I am grateful to my patients, who helped me understand the intricacies of lower urinary tract function, through keen interaction with them and through ethical research.

Thank You God!