Functional results after temporary continuous drainage of the hypocontractile bladder

Background. Impaired bladder emptying is a common problem in older people and a challenging task in treatment. Conservative and medical treatment options have shown beneficial effects on micturition; however, in a substantial number of patients the effectiveness of these therapies is disappointing. In the end the decompensated bladder needs indwelling catheterisation. To study the effects on the detrusor function, we analysed the urodynamic data of 31 patients during long-term bladder drainage retrospectively. Patients and methods. All 17 female and 14 male patients showed impaired detrusor contractility, enlarged bladder capacity, decreased sensitivity and a high post-void residual urine volume (PVR). After exclusion of an acute pathology, the patients were treated continously with a suprapubic catheter for an average of 13.1 weeks. By urodynamic measurements before and after the drainage period, we analysed the filling parameters, pressure-flow patterns, PVR and detrusor contractility. Results. At the end of the drainage period, significant changes in the detrusor function were obvious. Compared with the pretreatment situation, the bladder volume at first desire to void decreased from 306.92 ml to 281.7 ml and the maximum bladder capacity from 691.8 ml to 496.8 ml, respectively. The compliance of the detrusor muscle diminished in the same period of time from 65.6 ml/cmH(2)O to 51.8 ml/cmH(2)O. The PVR dropped by 227.2 ml in average. The maximum flow rate was 9.4 ml/s, and the maximum detrusor pressure increased slightly up to 23.6 cmH(2)O. Conclusion. The continuous drainage of the bladder results in significant changes in the motoric as well as sensoric detrusor function. The reduced bladder capacity and the decreased PVR might be indications of a regenerating process of the detrusor. The long-term drainage of the bladder shows beneficial and therefore therapeutic effects. It still remains to be investigated on a functional as well as structural basis to what extent age, gender and pathogenesis influences the rehabilitation of the detrusor.