[Neurogenic bladder, 20 years later]

The therapeutic armamentarium--physical therapy, drugs, surgery--developed over the last 20 years now gives us the means of providing curative care to nearly all patients with manifestations of neuropathic bladder, meaning that the clinical examination and complementary tests must be conducted under strictly controlled conditions to identify the underlying mechanism. The examination of the perineum almost always reveals a defect when the origin is neurological but is often normal when gynaecologic or urologic factors are involved. Motor command, tonus, reflexes and sensitivity should all be carefully explored to distinguish between central and peripheral causes. Much progress has been made in complementary examinations. For example, nearly 100% of the neurological aetiologies can be identified with precision. Tests include electromyography of the perineum, measurement of the latency of the bulbocavernous reflex and that of the distal part of the internal pudental nerve. Complementary tests evaluating bladder and sphincter function include urine sediment with cytology, intravenous pyelography and echography of the urinary tract. Pressure measurements with cystomanometry, sphincterometry and flowmetry add further precisions. Whether the underlying mechanism of bladder dysfunction is purely neurological as is the case in many young patients with multiple sclerosis, spina bifida or caudia equina syndrome, results from several causes as in patients with Parkinson's disease and enlargement of the prostate, or is among the increasing number of post-radiation sequellae, the essential step is careful clinical examination and detailed interpretation of complementary examinations. Thus the wide range of techniques now available for the management of the neuropathic bladder can be adapted to each individual case according to the pathological processes causing the clinical manifestations.