UROLOGY-ORIGINAL PAPER Quality of life of neurogenic patients: translation and validation of the Portuguese version of Qualiveen Carlos Arturo Levi D’Ancona Æ Jose ´ Tadeu Tamanini Æ Neury Botega Æ Nivaldo Lavoura Æ Ruiter Ferreira Æ Victor Leita ˜o Æ Maria Helena Baena M. Lopes Received: 28 January 2008 / Accepted: 16 May 2008 / Published online: 5 June 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, B.V. 2008 Abstract Objective Questionnaires for adequate assessment of the urinary function of neurological patients are not available in Portuguese. The Qualiveen, devel- oped in France for evaluation of general and urinary- related impact on QoL, has been successfully used in neurological patients. Aim To translate the Qualiveen, to adapt it cross- culturally, and to validate it for Portuguese. Methods Fifty-one patients with spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), and myelomeningocele (MMC) completed both Qualiveen and the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form (ICIQ-SF) twice, at an mean interval of 15.5 days. Results A reliability study revealed internal consis- tency (Cronbach’s alpha coefficients 0.75–0.90 for all four domains). Test–retest reliability demonstrated moderate to strong stability (intraclass correlation coefficient range from 0.62 to 0.86). Construct validity was assessed using the Qualiveen’s scores and ICIQ-SF final score. It was significant for the majority of Qualiveen’s score domains compared with the ICIQ-SF final score. Conclusion The Portuguese version of the Qualiv- een was successfully adapted and validated. It can be used for evaluation of general and urinary QoL in neurological patients. Keywords Quality of life Á Qualiveen questionnaire Á Neurogenic patients Á Validation Introduction There is great concern in the medical community about devising questionnaires to evaluate quality of life (QoL). These questionnaires are intended to assess patients’ perception regarding their disease and treatment outcomes, allowing comparison between centers. It has been demonstrated that very often patients’ perception does not match those of their physicians, substantiating the application of these tools [1]. C. A. L. D’Ancona (&) Á N. Botega Á V. Leita ˜o Á M. H. B. M. Lopes Urology, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Rua Dr. Miguel Penteado, 1073, Campinas, Sao Paulo 13070-118, Brazil e-mail: cdancona@uol.com.br J. T. Tamanini Urology, Prevention and Treatment Center of Voiding Disfunction of Jau ´, Rua Floriano Peixoto, 443, Jau ´, SP, Brazil N. Lavoura Urology, Integrated Urology of Piracicaba, Av. Indempende ˆncia, 1075, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil R. Ferreira Urology, Rehabilitation Center of Goia ˆnia, Rua 9, 1275, Goia ˆnia, GO, Brazil 123 Int Urol Nephrol (2009) 41:29–33 DOI 10.1007/s11255-008-9402-3