Effect of dominant hemispheric stroke on detrusor function in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms

Objectives: To determine the effect of unilateral hemispheric lesion on voiding dysfunction by comparing urodynamic parameters in dominant, non-dominant and bilateral hemispheric stroke patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients from a magnetic resonance imaging and urodynamic study. We identified 69 cases among 192 stroke patients who had undergone urodynamic study due to lower urinary tract symptoms from June 2003 to December 2008. Results: Among the analyzed variables in the urodynamic study, total bladder capacity, voided volume, postvoid residual urine volume, maximum flow rate, average flow rate, detrusor pressure at the maximum flow rate, and bladder compliance did not show statistically significant differences among dominant, non-dominant and bilateral hemispheric stroke patients groups (P > 0.05). The dominant hemispheric stroke group had detrusor overactivity in 64.2% of cases and detrusor underactivity in 35.8%; the non-dominant hemispheric stroke group had detrusor overactivity in 66.7% of cases and detrusor underactivity in 33.3%; and the bilateral stroke group had detrusor overactivity in 60.0% of cases and detrusor underactivity in 40.0% (P = 0.946). Conclusion: Urodynamic findings cannot be characterized by the laterality of the unilateral hemispheric ischemic lesion. There are no significant differences in lower urinary tract symptoms between dominant, non-dominant and bilateral hemispheric ischemic stroke patients.