Bladder dysfunction in spinal tuberculosis: clinical, urodynamic and MRI study

An observational study.

We report clinical, MRI and urodynamic findings in spinal tuberculosis.

Tertiary care teaching hospital.

Patients with spinal tuberculosis having micturition disturbances or high postvoidal residual (PVR) urine were subjected to clinical evaluation, urodynamic and spinal MRI. Urinary symptoms were scored as per the American Urological Association Symptom (AUAS) Index. The outcome was defined at 12 months into complete, partial and poor.

Of 30 spinal tuberculosis patients, 15 had micturition disturbance and included urinary retention in 4, stress incontinence in 2, hesitancy in 6, urgency in 11 and urge incontinence in 9 patients. Thirteen patients had paraparesis and one had quadriparesis. Spinal MRI revealed granuloma in 2, dorsal vertebral involvement in 12 and cervical and lumbar vertebral involvement in 1 patient each. On urodynamic study, detrusor hyperreflexia (DH) with high-pressure voiding was present in six, detrusor areflexia (DA) in four, normal study in one and increased PVR urine in the remaining patients. AUAS score improved on follow-up. DA changed to DH with high-pressure voiding in one patient. The 15 patients without micturition disturbance had no horizontal sensory level, milder or no weakness and only 2 had spinal cord signal changes. Patients with micturition disturbances had poorer functional recovery at 1 year compared to those without micturition disturbances.

Bladder symptoms were present in 50% of the admitted patients with spinal tuberculosis and related to severity of paraplegia, horizontal sensory level, cord signal abnormality and poorer outcome compared to those without spinal tuberculosis. Urodynamic study helped in categorization and management.