Micturitional disturbance in syringomyelia

Successful outcome following a multimodal pelvic rehabilitation program in a woman with neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction: A case report

BACKGROUND

Neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunctions lead to physical, social, and emotional disability and affects one's quality of life. Initial treatment is conservative including several rehabilitation techniques such as pelvic floor muscle training, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and posterior tibial nerve stimulation.

OBJECTIVE

In this case report, a 45-year-old woman with neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction was presented.

CASE DESCRIPTION

Her urinary and fecal incontinence symptoms began twenty years before this episode of care, after an incomplete spinal cord injury secondary to spinal ependymoma and syringomyelia. She discontinued medical treatments due to side effects and ceased intermittent catheterization. A multimodal pelvic rehabilitation program was administered consisting of posterior tibial nerve stimulation, active pelvic floor muscle training accompanied by biofeedback, and electrical stimulation of pelvic floor muscles.

OUTCOMES

There were clinically important favorable differences in the scores of King's health questionnaire (reductions in symptom severity from 25 to 18 and in each of the impact of incontinence, physical and social limitations, personal relationships, sleep/energy, and severity measures from 100 to 67), pelvic floor distress inventory (decreased from 257 to 146) and female sexual function index (increased from 15.1 to 25.1) after 12 weeks of a multimodal pelvic rehabilitation program. Manual muscle tests demonstrated improvements in pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance.

CONCLUSION

A 12-week multimodal pelvic rehabilitation program reduced urinary and fecal incontinence symptoms, together with improvements in her sexual life and alleviation of neuropathic pain.

An Unusual Case of Syringohydromyelia Presenting with Neurogenic Bladder

We report the case of a 4-year-old boy who first presented with acute pyelonephritis at the age of 6 months. Diagnostic workup revealed high-grade bilateral vesicourethral reflux (VUR). At the age of 18 months, a bulking agent was used to treat bilateral VUR. Since the VUR persisted, an open bilateral Lich-Gregoir procedure was done at the age of 3 years. Immediately after surgery, he developed acute urinary retention with hydronephrosis that resolved with the placement of dwelling urinary catheter. After removal of the catheter urinary retention relapsed so placement of suprapubic urinary catheter was indicated since he did not have sensory loss. He was started with tamsulosin (α − 1-blocker) and prophylactic antibiotics. Urodynamics were performed and suggested bladder outlet obstruction. On the basis of previous urethroscopy and the absence of neurological sequelae, the differential diagnosis of Hinman syndrome was made. After removal of the suprapubic catheter, clean intermittent catheterization was started and α-blocker continued. However, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and the spinal cord revealed syringohydromyelia extending from thoracic spine (Th5) to conus medullaris with 6 to 7 mm in diameter. Electromyoneurogram was normal. After a follow-up of 3 years, the hydronephrosis has resolved. The patient is on clean intermittent catherization and has no urinary tract infections.

[Post-traumatic syringomyelia: What should know the urologist?]

The incidence of post-traumatic syringomyelia (PTS) is estimated according to recent studies at 25 to 30% of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which remains the gold standard exam for syringomyelia diagnosis and monitoring. Syringomyelia is translated by an increased cord signal (similar to CSF) with low-density T1-weighted image and high-density T2-weighted image, which extends beyond site of initial lesion at least to two vertebral segments. Two conditions are required for development of PTS: traumatic spinal cord injury and blocked the flow of CSF epidural. The mean interval from spinal cord injury to diagnosis SPT was 2.8years (range, 3months to 34years). The commonest symptoms are pain and sensory loss. PTS should be suspected if the patient has new neurological symptoms above level of injury, such as dissociated sensory injuries, reflexes abolition, and motor deficit, after the neural function becomes stable for certain time. In urologic practice, new neurological symptoms could be bladder and/or erectile dysfunction. The medical management based on prevention efforts with closed-glottis pushing, which could aggravate the syrinx cavity. In urology, extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, and laparoscopic or robotic surgery could extend the syrinx cavity for the same reason (increase abdominal pressure). The indications for surgical intervention and optimal surgical treatment technique for patients with PTS are not consensual. The literature demonstrated that surgery PTS is effective at arresting or improving motor deterioration, but not sensory dysfunction or pain syndromes.

[Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease associated with syringomyelia revealed by urinary disorders]

PURPOSE

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is characterized by genetic and clinical heterogeneity. The occurrence of urinary disorders is unusual and requires further investigation. CMT disease and syringomyelia are not usually associated. Moreover, primary urinary signs in syringomyelia are not frequent.

CASE REPORT

An 11-year-old girl with CMT disease 1A duplication presented with motor deficit of the leg associated with urinary disorders. Urodynamic study revealed neurogenic detrusor overactivity, and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed syringomyelia extending from T11 to an L1 located conus.

DISCUSSION

Review of the literature confirmed the possibility of primary urinary signs in syringomyelia, with only one case of CMT and urinary signs described. In this case, the diagnosis was radicullar and medullar compression by a hypertrophic nerve formation called an "onion bulb" reflecting the demyelinisation and remyelinisation cycle.

CONCLUSION

Urinary signs in CMT disease are exceptional and require investigation into the possibility of a central lesion.

[Bladder dysfunction due to rare neurological disorders]

Diseases or lesions of the central or peripheral nervous system involving the innervation of the lower urinary tract lead to neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Results are typical changes in storage and voiding function of the bladder according to pathophysiological and urodynamical criteria. In case of neurological disorders the neurological symptoms are not always the leading ones. The differential diagnosis of correlating bladder dysfunction is often difficult and special pathophysiological knowledge is necessary. Etiological factors are congenital, degenerative, vascular, inflammatory and immunological processes or tumour-specific changes of the nervous system. In many cases urodynamic evaluation and early interdisciplinary cooperation is necessary for special differentiation and diagnosis, especially of those diseases which rarely lead to initial bladder symptoms. The "nonneurogenic neurogenic bladder" or "Hinman-Syndrom" is well known in the literature but shouldn't be diagnosed until possible neurological reasons are excluded by modern diagnostic tools with newest imaging techniques.

Lower urinary tract dysfunctions in patients with spinal cord tumors

AIMS

The objective of this study was to elucidate the incidence and pathophysiology of lower urinary tract dysfunctions (LUTS) in patients with spinal cord tumors.

METHODS

Urinary questionnaire and urodynamic studies were done in 76 patients with spinal cord tumors.

RESULTS

The patients included 56 with cervical-thoracic (C1 to T11) and 20 with lumbosacral tumors. The lumbosacral tumors consisted of 12 epiconus/conus medullaris (below T11) and 8 cauda equina tumors. These tumors were further subdivided into intramedullary, intradural extramedullary, and dumbbell-type. More than 83% of the patients had urinary symptoms. Patients with cervical-thoracic tumors commonly had voiding symptoms (75%). Detrusor hyperreflexia (39%), and detrusor areflexia on voiding (21%) were the main urodynamic features. Patients with epiconus/conus medullaris tumors commonly had voiding symptoms as well (58%), but decreased urge to void (50%), detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia (42%), and detrusor areflexia on voiding (32%) were the main features. Patients with cauda equina tumors commonly had storage symptoms (88%), of which sensory urgency was most common (63%). Severe LUTS occurred in the epiconus/conus medullaris tumors and in the intramedullary tumors. These dysfunctions tended to appear late and rarely appeared as the initial symptom in the course of the disease. There was no significant relationship between neurologic abnormalities and LUTS. Urodynamics showed that spinal cord tumors cause a variety of LUTS, depending on the location and the type of the tumor.

CONCLUSION

Spinal cord tumors are commonly accompanied by LUTS. Clinical and urodynamic evaluation is crucial to diagnosis and management since there is little relationship between symptoms and findings.

Effect of spinal cord abnormalities on the function of the lower urinary tract in patients with anorectal abnormalities

PURPOSE

We evaluated the effect of spinal cord abnormalities on lower urinary tract function in patients with anorectal abnormalities.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We examined 30 patients with anorectal anomalies mainly because of fecal or urinary incontinence. All patients underwent spinal magnetic resonance imaging and urodynamic investigation.

RESULTS

Major lumbosacral abnormalities were detected in 57% of patients, including 13, 4 and 3 with a tethered cord, syringomyelia and caudal regression, respectively. Significant dysfunction of the lower urinary tract in 57% of the cases involved an overactive detrusor in 11, detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia in 4, distended bladder in 4 and lazy bladder in 1. When the spinal cord was normal, 54% of the patients had abnormal urodynamic findings but when the spinal cord was abnormal, 59% had abnormal urodynamics. When the bony spine was normal, 33% of the patients had an abnormal spinal cord but when the bony spine was abnormal, 69% had an abnormal spinal cord.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with anorectal abnormalities and fecal or urinary incontinence problems often have an abnormal spinal cord and abnormal urodynamic findings. However, the state of the spinal cord is not the only factor explaining lower urinary tract function. Thus, the possibility of lower urinary tract dysfunction should be considered in each patient with anorectal abnormalities. If the patient has symptoms or findings suggesting abnormal lower urinary tract function urodynamic evaluation should be performed.

Neurological disorders of micturition and their treatment

An overview of the current concepts of the neurological control of the bladder is given, based on laboratory experiments and PET scanning studies in human subjects. This is followed by a description of the various causes of the neurogenic bladder, discussed in a hierarchical order starting with cortical lesions and descending through the basal ganglia and brainstem, spinal cord, conus and cauda equina to disorders of peripheral innervation. Then follows a description of the condition of isolated urinary retention in young women. The article concludes with a review of the methods available for treating neurogenic bladder disorders. These are largely medical but brief mention of appropriate surgical procedures is made.