Urethral pressure response to cough and voluntary perineal contraction in men without previous pelvic surgery

The aim of this study was to analyze the urethral pressure responses to cough in men to better characterize the neurogenic mechanisms of male urethral function. A prospective study was carried out on 41 men referred for urodynamic assessment. Urethral pressure profiles at rest and during coughing, and urethral pressure response to voluntary perineal contraction were recorded and analyzed in relation to the neurological status of the patients. Voluntary perineal contraction resulted in a urethral pressure increase (delta pU) of approximately 150 cm H2O in neurologically normal patients. Delta pU could be reduced to any degree in patients with either central or peripheral neurological lesions. Urethral pressure response to cough could be easily classified into two main patterns. Pattern I was characterized by a marked increase in urethral closure pressure during the cough (ratio of urethral to rectal pressure increase: 248 +/- 106%), occurring at the distal part of the posterior urethra. All the neurologically normal patients and the majority of those with upper motoneuron lesions had a pattern I response. Pattern II was defined by the absence of any significant increase in urethral closure pressure at any site of the posterior urethra and was observed in 80% of the patients with signs of lower motoneuron lesions. The pattern of the response to cough was significantly related to the neurological status of the patients (P < 0.001). It was dissociated from the response to voluntary contraction, as would be expected for a reflex versus a voluntary response in neurological patients.