Lesion of pontine micturition area in rat causes a severe kidney syndrome.

Bilateral symmetric lesions of a small strip in the dorsal pontine reticular formation between the locus coeruleus and the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus caused a severe disturbance of kidney and urinary bladder function beginning with haematuria, micturition paralysis and incontinence on the second postoperative day. Thirteen rats with these lesions were killed on the sixth postoperative day, dissectioned and their kidneys were pathomorphologically investigated. Their urinary bladders were extremely expanded and filled with bloody urine. All kidneys showed a picture of hydronephrosis and were enlarged from 15 mm preoperatively to 30 mm in their longitudinal axis and from 9 to 15 mm in their transverse axis. In seven further rats with partial or asymmetric lesions of this pontine micturition area the micturition cessation and the haematuria disappeared between the 4th and 8th postoperative days: kidney enlargement and hydronephrosis were still found on the 20th postoperative day.