ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION Approximately 10,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCI) occur each year. Eighty-five percent of the patients are men and 58% result in quadriplegia (1,2). Many of these patients develop neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (detrusor hyperreflexia; DH) associated with detrusor-external sphincter dyssynergia (DESD) (3-5). DH in conjunction with DESD, resulting in elevated intravesical pressure, can result in a 50% or greater long-term urological complication rate. The associated morbidity includes sepsis, hydronephrosis, vesicoureteral reflux, nephrolithiasis, renal insufficiency, and even renal failure (5-8).
