A wireless device no larger than a mobile phone could help to diagnose bladder dysfunction and advance research into the causes of urinary incontinence in men and women, experts say.

Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada have been studying the near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device to investigate bladder disease in both children and adults who need incontinence products. They recruited 37 adults and children to test the wireless device, which is strapped into place on the skin over the bladder.It works by measuring differences in the amount of light shone through the skin to the bladder wall and providing information on the levels of oxygen and volume in the blood.

Lead author Dr Andrew Macnab, a paediatrics and urology professor at UBC, said: "Currently, diagnosing bladder dysfunction usually requires an invasive test. "Our study shows that near-infrared spectroscopy - a non-toxic and non-invasive method using light shone through the skin to monitor the microcirculation of the bladder - can detect changes in bladder physiology that are proving characteristic for specific causes of voiding dysfunction."

Dr Macnab noted that treatment for people who need incontinence products usually focuses on the management of symptoms, as little is known about the physiology of the problem. He revealed that the new device could help to shed light on the root causes of incontinence" and in turn develop new therapeutics to cure these conditions".