ABSTRACT
The evaluation of patients suspected of having neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD) has two goals: first, to elucidate the process resulting in signs or symptoms of dysfunction, and second, to determine if the upper and lower urinary tracts are at risk for damage. NLUTD can be classified under the following rubrics: “failure to store”, “failure to empty”, or a combination of both. Patients with NLUTD can further be classified as at risk or not at risk for upper urinary tract damage/decompensation. In certain scenarios of NLUTD, serious urinary tract and/or renal function damage can result in the absence of symptoms. This chapter focuses on the use of urodynamic study (UDS) in general. The goals of UDS in patients with neurologic bladder dysfunction are to correlate patient symptoms with urodynamic events. The urodynamic evaluation consists of several components including cystometrogram, abdominal pressure monitoring, electromyography, uroflowmetry, and voiding pressure-flow studies.
