Abstract

Lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction is often a significant source of morbidity after chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), irrespective of the spinal level involved. The majority of experimental studies of post-SCI LUT function, however, have investigated only thoracic injury models, and have paradoxically shown recovery of normal LUT function behaviorally after injury. Few studies have shown abnormal LUT function electrophysiologically similar to that seen clinically, characterized by bladder-external urethral sphincter (EUS) dyssynergy, but only in thoracic injury models. Therefore, we propose a study that to the best of our knowledge is the first of its kind, by examining both early and late behavioral and electrophysiological changes in LUT function after experimental cervical contusion injury. With this novel preclinical model, we demonstrate that despite recovery of LUT function behaviorally, abnormal changes electrophysiologically in LUT function are evident late after unilateral and bilateral cervical contusion injury, closely mirroring the clinical condition.