[Urologic management of spinal cord injury by subarachnoid phenol block]

Subarachnoid phenol block was applied to four traumatic spinal cord injury patients who had been suffering from urinary incontinence caused by detrusor hyperreflexia. Two were females with complete thoracic cord injury, the others were males with incomplete cervical cord injury. In all patients, detrusor hyperreflexia and urinary incontinence disappeared after 0.3-0.6 ml injection of 10% phenol glycerin. Vesicoureteral reflux observed in three ureters of two patients disappeared or improved. Two obtained sufficient bladder capacity for urine storage, while the others who had been treated by continuous urine drainage for a long time prior to the block could not obtain sufficient bladder compliance. The cause seemed to be organization of the bladder wall.