Urinary manometry in patients with spinal cord injury: neurourological considerations in the rehabilitation of acute and chronic neurogenic bladder.

Recordings of pressure within the bladder, urethra, rectum, and external anal sphincter with image intensification and videotaping were carried out in spinal cord injury patients with complete and incomplete lesions, during spinal shock and in the chronic stage. The behavior of the external urethral sphincter and the somatic and visceral motor reflexes of the sacral segments were studied, during and after spinal shock. During spinal shock the majority of patients retained sacral somatomotor activity, in the absence of visceromotor activity, and resistance values at the external urethral sphincter remained high. Vascular oscillations were recorded in the membranous urethra. The highest resistance found in the membranous urethra was at the distal part of the external sphincter.