Improvement of upper limb function with respect to urination techniques in quadriplegia.

A follow up study of urological management was carried out on 38 cervical spinal cord injury patients who were admitted to the Nagano Rehabilitation Centre Hospital and whose surgical reconstructions of their paralytic hands were performed since 1977. Self catheterisation was possible after reconstructive hand surgery in patients whose lowest functioning cord segment was C5-6. All of them had been unable to perform self catheterisation before surgery. Handling of instruments related to the act of urination was possible in two patients where the lowest functioning cord segment was C6-7 and where ileal conduit formation and reconstructive hand surgery had been performed.