[Neurogenic bladder in patients with cervical cord compression disorders]

Bladder and urethral functions were evaluated urodynamically in 62 patients with cervical cord compression disorder caused by either ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine (32 patients), cervical spondylosis (14 patients), prolapsed cervical intervertebral disc (14 patients) or cervical spinal canal stenosis (2 patients). The patients included 46 males and 16 females with average age of 57 years (range 39 to 73 years). Symptomatic organic infravesical obstruction was excluded by physical and radiographic examination. Cystometry revealed preoperative neurogenic bladder in 22 patients (35%) including overactive detrusor in 10 patients (45%) and underactive in 6 (27%). Twenty-one of them underwent electromyographic examination of external sphincter and 14 (67%) had overactive sphincter. Bladder and urethral functions appeared to be impaired in association with myelopathy of the pyramidal and spinothalamic tract of the cervical cord, because of high incidence of neurogenic bladder associated with positive Babinski's reflex and sensory disturbance at the perineal and lower extremity area. Furthermore, since many patients with deep sensory disturbance in the lower extremities had underactive detrusor, it appears likely that underactive detrusor was accompanied with myelopathy in the posterior funiculus of the cervical cord which mediates bladder proprioceptive sensation. Of twenty-two neurogenic bladder patients, seventeen underwent a cervical bone operation and eleven received postoperative urodynamic evaluation. The average interval from the operation to urodynamic evaluation was 1.6 months (range 1.1 to 2.3 months). Over half of the patients were found to be improved urodynamically as well as neurologically.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)