Renal pelvic pressures in human chronic obstructive uropathy

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Nephrology

Background:

• Chronic obstructive uropathy is often associated with high bladder pressure and upper tract changes.
• The relationship between bladder pressure and renal pelvic pressure in this condition requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between resting renal pelvic pressure and premicturition bladder pressure in male patients with chronic obstructive uropathy.
• To determine if high resting bladder pressure directly contributes to upper tract dilatation and diminished renal function.

Main Methods:

• Direct percutaneous puncture was used to measure resting renal pelvic pressure and premicturition bladder pressure in 12 male patients.
• Subtracted renal pelvic pressure was calculated and compared to intrinsic bladder pressure.

Main Results:

• In 10 technically satisfactory cases, subtracted renal pelvic pressure was lower than intrinsic bladder pressure.
• This suggests that upper tract dilatation and diminished renal function are not solely due to direct extension of high resting bladder pressure.
• The mean resting upper tract pressure in chronic obstructive uropathy was 10.7 cm of water.

Conclusions:

• High resting bladder pressure does not appear to be the primary cause of upper tract dilatation in chronic obstructive uropathy.
• Other mechanisms likely contribute to the observed renal pelvic pressure and upper tract changes.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the pathophysiology of chronic obstructive uropathy.