Screening cystoscopy in chronically catheterized spinal cord injury patients.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review. OBJECTIVES: An annual screening cystoscopy protocol was begun at our institution in an attempt to minimize the morbidity and mortality of bladder cancer in the chronically catheterized spinal cord injured (SCI) population. The objectives of this study are: (1) to present the results of 6 years of screening for primary bladder cancer in this population, and (2) examine the suitability of this protocol based upon accepted principles of cancer screening. SETTING: Veterans hospital, Seattle, WA, USA. METHODS: SCI patients selected for screening cystoscopy were those who had been continuously catheterized for 10 or more years, or were smokers who had been catheterized for 5 or more years. Biopsies and/or urine cytologies were taken at the surgeon's discretion. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients underwent 156 cystoscopy procedures from January 1992 through December 1997. The vast majority of patients were at risk for autonomic dysreflexia, so cystoscopy was performed with anesthesia. No bladder cancers were diagnosed by screening cystoscopy. All bladder biopsies and cytology specimens were benign. During the same period of time four SCI patients presented with symptomatic bladder cancers. Two patients did not fit the criteria for surveillance, one patient was not being followed by the SCI unit and presented to an outside physician, and one patient had a screening cystoscopy 4 months prior to presenting with bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Cystoscopy does not fulfil the accepted criteria for screening for primary bladder cancer in SCI patients. The disease does not appear to be amenable to screening, the population to be screened is not easily definable, and the costs are excessive compared to the low cancer detection rate.

Experience with intracavernosal tri-mixture for the management of neurogenic erectile dysfunction.

Using papaverine, papaverine/phentolamine, or prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), intracavernosal pharmacotherapy has been successful in treating erectile dysfunction. The limiting factor of using these medicines is intracorporeal fibrosis with the first two and a high cost with PGE1. Our experience with intracavernosal therapy in patients with impotence secondary to neurogenic disease has included 35 men, 30 of whom are spinal cord injured, 3 after radical prostatectomy, 1 with multiple sclerosis, and 1 with lower extremity weakness after surgery. Patients ranged in age from 22 to 59 years, with an average of 36.3 years; mean follow-up was 13.8 months. Intracavernosal therapy has been performed with a tri-mixture of papaverine hydrochloride (smooth muscle relaxant), phentolamine mesylate (alpha-adrenergic blocking agent) and alprostadil (PGE1- a vasodilator and smooth muscle relaxant). Of the patient population, all 35 patients were able to have adequate erections for sexual relations with minimal complications. Acting synergistically, the ingredients promote erectile activity using small doses and without a significant incidence of priapism or fibrosis. Techniques of injection, dosing and followup are discussed.

Detrusor reflex contraction inhibited by anal stretch.

Anal stretch has been advocated as a method to overcome detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia. In evaluating candidates for this technique, it has been observed that in some cases the detrusor reflex and the external sphincter contraction is inhibited. The detrusor-sphincter unit then assumes a lower motor neuron pattern. This explains the need of the Valsalva and Credé maneuver that had been incorporated in the anal stretch technique to allow dyssynergic patients to void.

Intermittent bladder emptying via urethral catheterization or suprapubic cystocath: a comparison study.

A prospective study was undertaken to compare patients with recent spinal cord injuries undergoing bladder training by conventional intermittent urethral catheterization with a similar group treated with the Cystocath. Our present information suggest there are no differences with respect to episodes of bacteriuria encountered or for time spent by the catheter team for each procedure. Paraplegics tended to reach balanced bladder status more easily without surgery while quadriplegics did not. The bladder training program was shorter on the average for the Cystocath group. Further investigation is necessary to determine whether this is significant. Problems encountered were minimal and fewer than reported in the literature. We find no reason not to employ the Cystocath in bladder training programs in spinal cord injured patients.

Anal sphincter stretch: a technique to overcome detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia.

Intermittent catheterization has become a well-accepted method of management of the neurogenic bladder following spinal cord injury. Frequently, the presence of detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia interferes with the attainment of acceptable residual urine volumes in patients with upper-motor-neuron bladders. We have recently reported success in overcoming the problems of dyssynergia in some patients utilizing a technique called anal sphincter stretch in which relaxation of the external anal and urethral sphincters is produced by sustained distention of the anal sphincter. This has lessened the need for other measures that usually produce incontinence and has met with good patient acceptance. An update on the results of using this technique is presented. Although we have previously encountered quadriplegics who might have benefited from sphincter stretch, the lack of hand intrinsic muscle function required for the patient to perform it independently has precluded its use. We herein present a device that circumvents inadequate hand function, and which has enabled four C-7 quadriplegics to achieve satisfactory bladder emptying.

A finger device for obtaining satisfactory voiding in spinal cord-injured patients.

Anal sphincter stretch is a technique or procedure that recently has been found effective in overcoming the problem of ineffective voiding caused by detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia in some cases and for patients with upper motor neuron lesions. This technique was made available to quadriplegic patients when a fabricated device worn over the patient's finger was used. Four C7 quadriplegics have been able to achieve consistently acceptable amounts and residual volumes when voiding.