Bladder stones following SCI in the Sprague-Dawley rat

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Nephrology
• Neurology

Background:

• Bladder stones are a common complication in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
• Developing reliable animal models is crucial for understanding the mechanisms and potential treatments for SCI-related bladder stones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and validate a novel animal model of spinal cord injury (SCI) for studying bladder stone formation.
• To compare bladder stone development in SCI rats versus non-SCI (sham SCI) rats.

Main Methods:

• Sprague-Dawley rats underwent bladder catheter implantation to induce stone formation.
• Spinal cord injury (transection or sham) was surgically induced three weeks post-implantation.
• Bladder stone incidence, weight, and composition were analyzed at different time points post-SCI.

Main Results:

• Spinal cord injury (SCI) rats with catheters showed significantly higher bladder stone incidence (40-100%) and weight compared to sham SCI rats (0-30%).
• Bladder stones were more prevalent and larger in SCI rats, particularly after the spinal shock phase.
• Stone composition in SCI rats, including struvite and carbonate apatite, mirrored that found in human SCI patients.

Conclusions:

• The developed Sprague-Dawley rat model effectively replicates bladder stone formation following spinal cord injury (SCI).
• This model demonstrates that SCI exacerbates bladder stone development, with stone composition similar to human SCI.
• This animal model provides a valuable platform for investigating SCI-induced bladder pathologies and therapeutic strategies.