Vesical dysfunction in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)

There have been only a few reports on the involvement of the urinary tract in patients with systemic sclerosis, a disease of the connective tissue characterized by thickening and fibrosis of the skin, abnormality of the small arteries, and involvement of the gastrointestinal tract, heart, lung and kidney. We report the urodynamic assessment and histological examination of 9 women with scleroderma. Three patients voided less than 100 ml. with a significant residual volume and 4 presented with detrusor areflexia during a filling cystometrogram. Histopathological examination in all patients with detrusor areflexia demonstrated the presence of arterial lesions and derangement of the capillary bed of the detrusor musculature. Our data provide evidence for the functional and histological involvement of the bladder in patients with systemic sclerosis.