Purpose: To investigate the long-term satisfaction and complications in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients after various bladder management strategies and surgical procedures for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Methods: Patients at a single institution with chronic SCI who received bladder management treatment or surgical procedure to improve urinary continence were retrospectively assessed. Thorough urological examinations and videourodynamic studies were performed. Patients were treated either through conservative approaches including medical treatment, clean intermittent catheterization (CIC), cystostomy, and indwelling urethral catheter, or through surgical procedures including detrusor botulinum toxin (Botox) injections, augmentation, ileal conduit, Kock pouch diversion, continent cystostomy, suburethral sling, and artificial urethral sphincter (AUS) implantation. The patients’ satisfaction with urinary continence improvement, causes of dissatisfaction, long-term complications, and overall satisfaction with bladder and voiding condition were assessed. Results: A total of 700 consecutive patients were enrolled in this study. High satisfaction rates were noted after detrusor Botox injection (81.1%), augmentation enterocystoplasty (91.4%), autoaugmentation (80%), Kock pouch diversion, and continent cystostomy (all 100%). Fair satisfaction rates were noted after ileal conduit diversion (66.7%), suburethral sling (64.3%), and AUS implantation (66.7%). Patients who received conservative treatment with medicines, CIC, cystostomy, or an indwelling urethral catheter all had less-satisfactory outcomes (all < 40%). Conclusion: Overall satisfaction with surgical procedures aimed to improve urinary continence in chronic SCI patients was higher than with conservative bladder management (35.4%). Appropriate surgical procedures for chronic SCI patients with neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) and urological complications yielded satisfaction with both urinary continence improvement and with overall bladder and voiding condition.
Keywords: bladder management; neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction; spinal cord injury; surgery; urinary incontinence.