Urinary dysfunction in acute brain injury: A narrative review.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Urology

Background:

• The frontal lobe's urinary control center is crucial for bladder function.
• Neurologic injuries commonly impair this center and related pathways, leading to urinary dysfunction.
• Despite high prevalence, urinary dysfunction post-neurologic injury is underreported.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current knowledge on urinary dysfunction following various types of neurologic injuries.
• To synthesize clinical and pre-clinical data on this topic.
• To identify research gaps and propose clinical management strategies.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of clinical and pre-clinical studies.
• Categorization of urinary dysfunction by injury type (TBI, stroke, epilepsy, etc.).
• Analysis of existing data and identification of knowledge gaps.

Main Results:

• Urinary dysfunction is a common sequela of traumatic brain injury, stroke (hemorrhagic, ischemic), subarachnoid hemorrhage, subdural hematoma, and epilepsy.
• Specific patterns of dysfunction may correlate with injury type and location.
• Limited data exists for certain injury types and specific dysfunction mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• Urinary dysfunction is a significant but often overlooked consequence of neurologic injury.
• Further research is needed to elucidate mechanisms and optimize management.
• Evidence-based clinical practice suggestions are proposed for improved patient care.