[Assessment of disturbance of urinary bladder function after an operation for rectal cancer]

Disturbance of urinary bladder function occurs frequently after operations on rectal cancer. Clinical studies of 15 male patients with resected rectal cancers revealed a close relationship between the disturbance of urinary bladder function and the extent to which the autonomic nerves in the pelvis were disturbed. Clinically, transection of the hypogastric nerve did not affect urinary function. Branches to the urinary bladder in the pelvic plexus controlled bladder function bilaterally. Transection of one side of the pelvic splanchnic nerve (PSN) did not affect bladder function. Partial transection of the bilateral PSN strongly affected bladder function, but in these cases, compensation by the non-disturbed PSN improved urinary bladder function 3 months after the operation. It seems possible that the lower-grade branches to the urinary bladder in the PSN may control bladder function. Uroflowmetry, amount of residual urine, cystometry, and urinary bladder compliance were all useful in assessing disturbance of branches to the urinary bladder in the PSN. To assess the grade of severe Clinical cases, it proved the most convenient to examine the uroflowmetry and amount of residual urine.