Morbidity of urodynamic testing in patients with spinal cord injury: is antibiotic prophylaxis necessary?

STUDY

DESIGN

Prospective, non-randomized study.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the incidence of urinary tract infection after urodynamics in patients with spinal cord injury.

SETTING

Outpatient clinic of a university hospital in Germany.

METHODS

Urinary tract infection and clinical symptoms in 109 consecutive outpatients with spinal cord injury following urodynamic evaluation were studied.

RESULTS

Data from 72 patients were evaluable. Of these, seven patients (9.7%) developed a significant urinary tract infection. Five of these were symptomatic. Pre-existing asymptomatic bacteriuria was not associated with a higher risk for post-interventional infection. The technique of the bladder management did not correlate with urinary tract infection rates.

CONCLUSION

In this study, symptomatic urinary tract infections after cystometry were not infrequent. Therefore, it seems that antibiotic prophylaxis cannot be omitted in patients with spinal cord injury undergoing urodynamic investigation.