A comparison of urodynamic findings between patients with complete and incomplete traumatic spinal cord injuries

Abstract

Objective: To compare urodynamic findings between patients with complete and incomplete traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) and to determine whether it is important to test with urodynamic study in patients with incomplete SCI.

Design: Retrospective study

Setting: Ankara Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

Participants: A total of 66 patients with 36 complete and 30 incomplete traumatic SCI were included in the study, from July 2012 to September 2014.

Interventions: Urodynamic study

Outcome Measures: Maximum cystometric capacity (MCC) , vesicle pressure at MCC, detrusor function (detrusor overactivity or not), bladder complience, bladder storage and emptying disorders, post-void residual volume (PVR) and bladder emptying method were recorded. It was also recorded whether the patients used anticholinergic drugs before urodynamic study.

Results: In urodynamic findings MCC, vesicle pressure at MCC, PVR, there was no statistically significant difference between complete and incomplete traumatic SCI patients. Also there was no statistically significant difference in low-compliance of detrusor frequency and bladder storage and emptying disorder frequency. Clean intermittent catheterization (CIC) was the most commonly recommended method after urodynamic studies in both groups of patients with SCI.

Conclusions: In urodynamic study findings, there was no statistical difference between complete and incomplete traumatic SCI patients. The present study demonstrate that even if patients with incomplete SCI appear to be functionally better than the patients with complete SCI, urodynamic studies should still be performed in patients with incomplete SCI to identify bladder characteristics and to identify appropriate treatment.

Keywords:

• Incomplete spinal cord injury
• Urodynamics
• Clean intermittent catheterization
• Paraplegia
• Low-compliance of detrusor

Additional information

Funding

This study did not receive any funding or financial support.