Bladder trabeculation in spinal cord injury

Abstract

Bladder trabeculation may occur as an early manifestation of neurogenic bladder following spinal cord injury. The prevalence of bladder trabeculation in relation to other urologic morbidity was assessed in this clinical study using a urologic flow sheet. Data were extracted from a retrospective chart review of 90 patients with spinal cord injury (71% men) regularly followed at a tertiary care center. The study population had a mean age of 33.4 +/- 3.4 years and a mean injury duration of 5.5 +/- 3.7 years. Bladder trabeculation was found in 57% overall and in 31% of patients within 12 months of injury and was significantly associated with male sex, vesicoureteral reflux (p = 0.05), bladder diverticulum, and upper motor neuron type of neurogenic bladder (p = 0.01). Comparing systems of drainage, trabeculation was significantly associated with intermittent catheterization and an external collecting device or an external collecting device alone (p = 0.01). Elevated intracystic pressure in trabeculation development in the neurogenic bladder is related to any combination of bladder overdistention, outflow obstruction, and uninhibited detrusor contractions.