[Urinary tract dysfunction in spinal cord injury patients]. / Uroloska disfunkcija u osoba s ozljedom kraljeznicne mozdine.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) results with paralysis but also with micturition dysfunction; therefore rehabilitation management and long-term follow-up include lower urinary tract care in order to prevent upper urinary tract pathology and complications. That comprises timely and standardized neurological and urological diagnostics and eliminatory techniques with intermittent catheterisation in majority of patients. Urological diagnostics include blood and urine tests, urine culture, ultrasound and X-ray of urinary tract, and cystometry to assess dynamic properties of neurogenic bladder. It has been proven that incomplete SCI patients have neurogenic bladder with similar findings as patients with complete injuries, i.e. cystometric capacities are reduced while intravesical pressures are increased, which endanger upper urinary tract. Furthermore, it has been shown that there is no difference of these findings between particular levels of injury: cervical, thoracic, thoracic-lumbar and lumbar, so these risks are similar in every group. Conclusively, it is necessary to conduct urinary tract diagnostics in SCI patients for sake of the quality and quantity of patients' lives.

Neurological outcome in road traffic accidents with spinal cord injury.

The aim of the study was to investigate neurological outcome in road traffic accidents (RTA) with spinal cord injury (SCI). The study was undertaken in National Spinal Unit of Special Medical Rehabilitation Hospital, in Varazdinske Toplice, Croatia. Hospital records of 154 inpatient RTA SCI patients, in years 1991-2001 were reviewed. Six groups of patients were formed: car drivers, co-drivers, back seat passengers, motorcycle drivers, bicycle drivers and pedestrians. Neurological assessments at admission to rehabilitation and before discharge were done according to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale. Methods of descriptive statistics were used. Overall 49% of RTA SCI patients presented with complete injury (ASIA A) at admission to rehabilitation, 93% of initially complete spinal cord injured patients remained complete at discharge and 72% previously non-ambulatory incomplete (ASIA B-E) patients achieved ambulation. Complete injury was acquired more often in motorcycle drivers and car drivers group (67% and 54%, respectively). Road traffic spinal cord injuries are, and will remain the leading cause of traumatic SCI, with high proportion of complete injury at rehabilitation onset, especially in motorcycle drivers and car drivers groups.

The system for medical rehabilitation in Croatia.

PURPOSE: To describe the framework for medical rehabilitation in Croatia and to discuss its influence on the practice of the specialty. METHODS: Collection, analysis and interpretation of data pertaining to the need for medical rehabilitation in the country and to its elements of structure, process and outcome of care. RESULTS: The practice of medical rehabilitation in Croatia has evolved without strategic planning on the national level and therefore without a designed system. This lack in the present framework causes shortcomings in all three elements of rehabilitation care and impedes the advancement of the specialty. CONCLUSION: Medical rehabilitation in Croatia needs a national strategic plan for a three-level system that incorporates inpatient, outpatient and community-based rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation medicine in Croatia -- sources and practice.

Sources of rehabilitation medicine, the need for rehabilitation and its practice in Croatia were studied, based on available data. The study revealed that current practice has advanced since the country's independence, but that there are many shortcomings; adequate care is not provided to all who could benefit from it, and there is wastage of resources.