Treatment Strategies for Neurogenic Voiding Dysfunction

The main problems in neurogenic voiding dysfunction (NVD) are failure to store, failure to empty, and combined failure to store and empty. The management priorities in NVD should be as follows, in order: (1) preservation of renal function, (2) freedom from urinary tract infection, (3) efficient bladder emptying, (4) freedom from an indwelling catheter, (5) patient satisfaction with voiding management and (6) avoiding medication after proper management. Management of the urinary tract in patients with spinal cord injury must be based on urodynamic findings rather than inferences from a neurologic evaluation. Selecting high-risk patients is important to prevent renal function impairment in patients with chronic NVD. Patients with NVD should be regularly followed-up for lower urinary tract dysfunction using urodynamic study and any urological complication should be adequately treated. Avoiding a chronic indwelling catheter can reduce the incidence of developing a low compliant bladder. Intravesical instillation of vanilloids or injection of BOTOX provides an alternative treatment for refractory detrusor overactivity or low compliant bladder and can replace the need for bladder augmentation. When surgical intervention is necessary, a less invasive type of surgery and a reversible procedure should be considered first and unnecessary surgery in the lower urinary tract should be avoided. Keeping the bladder and urethra in good condition without interfering with neuromuscular continuity will give patients with NVD a chance to benefit from new technologies in the future. It is most important that the physician continues to try to improve the quality of life of patients with NVD. [Tzu Chi Med J 2008;20(1):35–39