What Is a Neurogenic Bladder?

 

The muscles and nerves of the urinary system work together to hold urine in the bladder and then release it at the appropriate time. Nerves carry messages from the bladder to the brain and from the brain to the muscles of the bladder, telling them either to tighten or release. In a neurogenic bladder, the nerves that are supposed to carry these messages do not work properly.

Complications of a Neurogenic Bladder

The following problems are often associated with a neurogenic bladder:

  • Urine leakage - often occurs when the muscles holding urine in do not get the right message.
  • Urine retention - often happens if the muscles holding urine in do not get the message that it is time to let go
  • Damage to the tiny blood vessels in the kidney - often happens if the bladder becomes too full and urine backs up into the kidneys, causing extra pressure
  • Infection of the bladder or ureters - often results from urine that is held too long before being eliminated
Latest Urology News
Prostate cancer radiotherapy safe for HIV patients

December 1, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of small study suggest that radiotherapy can be safely used to treat prostate cancer in HIV-infected men. Treatment appears to have no long-term effect on CD4+ cell count or viral load.

Drug proves useful in hard-to-treat BPH: study

November 28, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - In men with an enlarged prostate who fail to respond to tamsulosin (brand name Flomax), treatment with the drug naftopidil may help alleviate common bothersome symptoms, such as having to make frequent nightly trips to the bathroom to urinate, research shows.

Cancer rates and cancer-related deaths drop in U.S.

November 25, 2008 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For the first time ever, the overall cancer incidence and death rates have declined for men and women in the United States, according to an annual report released Tuesday by the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and other groups.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health