Postinjury Bladder Overdistension Deteriorates the Lower Urinary Tract's Storage Function in Patients with Spinal...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Neuroscience
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Post-injury bladder overdistension (OD) is known to impair lower urinary tract function in mouse spinal cord injury (SCI) models.
• The impact of post-injury bladder OD on lower urinary tract function in human SCI patients remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of post-injury bladder OD during the acute bladder-areflexia phase on subsequent lower urinary tract storage function in SCI patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective evaluation of lower urinary tract function in 31 patients with OD and 19 without OD during the acute phase after SCI.
• Urodynamic studies were conducted 1, 3, and 5 years post-injury.
• Quality of life was assessed using the Qualiveen-30 questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Patients with post-injury bladder OD exhibited significantly higher maximum bladder pressure and lower bladder compliance compared to those without OD.
• The use of anti-muscarinic medications was significantly higher in the OD group.
• No significant differences were found in maximum cystometric capacity or quality of life scores between the groups.

Conclusions:

• Post-injury bladder OD during the acute phase negatively impacts lower urinary tract storage function in SCI patients long-term.
• Implementing regular intermittent catheterization during the early spinal shock phase is vital for managing subsequent bladder storage function in SCI patients.