[Long-term results of spinal cord electrostimulation in the treatment of micturition disorders associated with neurogenic bladder].

The authors report their experience of long-term (7 years) spinal electrostimulation (SES) in 34 cases of neurogenic bladder (spina bifida: 4 cases; traumatic paraplegia: 3 cases; multiple sclerosis: 23 cases; arachnoiditis: 4 cases). SES, performed via the epidural route, reduced urgent micturition and urge by 90%, urge incontinence by 70% and dysuria by 50%. In the majority of patients, urodynamic evaluation revealed a significant reduction in detrusor hyperactivity and uninhibited contractions, an increase in the electrical activity of the striated sphincter, a significant reduction (80%) in vesico-sphincteric dyssynergy with improvement in flow and an increase by more than 70% in the vesical capacity. After three years, the efficacy tended to slowly decrease and became significantly reduced over 5 years. After 7 years, only 2 of the first 10 cases continued to use SES. SES represents a non-aggressive technique and, at the present time, warrants widespread use due to its safety and simplicity.