Bladder-filling sensation in patients with spinal cord injury and the potential for sensation-dependent bladder emptying

Abstract

Study design: Investigation of bladder-filling sensation in 73 consecutive traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients during laboratory cystometry.

Objectives: To determine the frequencies of bladder-filling sensation in SCI patients with complete lesions above T11 and below T10 and with incomplete lesions, to examine the quality of the preserved sensation, as well as to determine the potential for sensation-dependent bladder emptying in this patient group.

Setting: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Education and Research Hospital of Ministry of Health, Ankara, Turkey.

Methods: Bladder-filling sensation was investigated in 73 consecutive patients with traumatic SCI using continuous medium fill cystometry. Bladder-filling sensation was categorised as absent, partially preserved or preserved. Presence of bladder-filling sensation before intravesical pressure (Pves) reached 25 and 40 cmH2O, and simultaneous presence of bladder capacity of more than 150 ml were investigated as the measures of the quality of the sensation.

Results: Bladder-filling sensation was present to some degree in all incomplete SCI patients, in 82.4% of the patients with complete lesions below T10, and 38.9% of the patients with complete lesions above T11. There were statistically significant differences between three groups with respect to bladder sensation category (P<0.001). About 86% of the patients with incomplete lesions, 53% of the patients with complete lesions below T10 and 22% of those with lesions above T11 had bladder-filling sensation before Pves reached 25 cmH2O and simultaneous bladder capacity of more than 150 ml was present in 61.2, 41.2 and 22.2% of the patients in the groups, respectively. Bladder-filling sensation investigations were reliable in terms of bladder filling sensation category in 36 SCI patients who had second cystometric examination.

Conclusion: Presence of bladder-filling sensation in many of the SCI patients observed in this study revealed the potential for sensation-dependent bladder emptying in SCI patients, especially in the ones with complete lesions below T10 and the ones with incomplete lesions. This method may prevent early emptying attempts, unnecessary catheterisations and overdistension episodes and may improve the patient's self-esteem and quality of life. However, further studies on clinical experience and patient compliance for this method are needed.