ABSTRACT
Eighty patients affected by ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) in stable conditions were studied: brain CT scan was performed in all patients to evaluate site/extension of brain injury, while urodynamic tests were employed in those patients who showed urinary bladder symptomatology (n = 30). Twenty-six complained of urgency and urge incontinence, only 4 patients showed urinary retention. Micturition abnormalities seem to occur mostly in patients with multiple infarcts and cerebral atrophy and particularly among those with bilateral lesions.
Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/complications , Urination Disorders/etiology , Aged , Brain Ischemia/physiopathology , Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology , Cerebral Infarction/complications , Cerebral Infarction/physiopathology , Dominance, Cerebral/physiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Urinary Bladder/innervation , Urinary Incontinence/etiology , Urinary Incontinence/physiopathology , Urinary Retention/etiology , Urinary Retention/physiopathology , Urination Disorders/physiopathology , Urodynamics/physiologyABSTRACT
"Enuresis risoria" or "giggle incontinence" is a particular condition characterized by a sudden, involuntary, uncontrollable and complete emptying of the bladder during giggling or hearty laughter. We had under observation a 15-year-old girl affected by this condition. The tests she underwent did not reveal anatomic or functional alterations. We were able to control her symptoms with Imipramine. We can thus assume that laughter reacts as a trigger that activates micturition reflex through the intermediation of the limbic system.
