[Neurogenic bladder in patients with lumbar vertebral disorders]

Bladder and urethral functions were evaluated urodynamically in 114 patients with lumbar disorders including prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc (66 patients), lumbar canal stenosis (19 patients), lumbar spondylolysis and/or spondylolisthesis (21 patients), lumbar spondylosis deformans (5 patients) and ossification of the yellow ligament of the lumbar spine (3 patients). The patients consisted of 88 males and 26 females with an average age of 47 years (range 17 to 73 years). Symptomatic organic infravesical obstruction was excluded by physical and radiographic examination. Cystometry revealed preoperative neurogenic bladder in 23 patients (20%); normal detrusor with overactive sphincter in 2 (9%), underactive in 8 (36%), overactive in 5 (23%) and equivocal in 7 (32%). One patient not receiving cystometry revealed abnormal uroflowmetry with 140 ml residual urine. Twenty of them underwent electromyographic examination of the external sphincter and 15 (75%) had an overactive sphincter. Nine (39%) of them complained no urological symptoms. Neurogenic bladder seemed to highly associate in those having abnormal tendon reflex in the lower extremities, decreased bulbocavernosus reflex and sensory disturbance in the perineal area, but there was no statistical significance. Of twenty-three neurogenic bladder patients, eighteen underwent a lumbar vertebral operation and fifteen received postoperative urodynamic evaluation. Uroflowmetry was improved in more than half of the patients within 3 months after the operation and cystometry was normalized in 4 of 7 patients who underwent cystometry over 6 months after the operation. Preoperative overactive detrusor remained unchanged in two of three patients who underwent cystometry over 6 months after the operation.