DOCTORS and scientists in the region have developed a painless method of testing men for bladder problems.

The test, based on the same principle as a blood pressure monitor, can be used to diagnose problems caused by an enlarged prostate gland or bladder muscle weakness.

There are hopes that the bladder pressure measuring kit, developed at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle, will be used throughout the NHS.

Mr Robert Pickard, of the hospital's Department of Urology, said: "Doctors need to know the pressure inside the bladder in order to determine the best treatment, but previously this could only be measured by passing a tube down the penis into the bladder.

"It is an uncomfortable procedure that can lead to infection."

With the new equipment, an inflatable cuff is used to measure bladder activity while the patient is urinating.

Mr Pickard said: "Urinary problems can be extremely irritating and distressing, but, with better diagnosis, we can recommend the most appropriate treatment without the need for painful, invasive investigation."

Thanks to a £70,283 grant extension from Action Medical Research, the bladder pressure kit is now being tested on men who are having a prostate operation, checking pressure before and after surgery.

The Freeman team which developed the device included medical physicists Clive Griffiths and Michael Drinnan, Peter Ramsden and Christopher Harding from the Department of Urology and research nurse Wendy Robson.