Complications of the upper urinary tract in patients with spinal cord injury: a long-term follow-up study

The aim of this study was to establish hazard ratios for the risk of complications of the upper urinary tract in relation to bladder management methods in patients with spinal cord injury. A total of 179 male patients were eligible for this investigation which was followed-up on a yearly basis until 2003. The average age at which the lesion occurred was 25.2 years (range 18–57). The average duration of follow-up since SCI was 29.3 years (range 10–53). During follow-up, the incidence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) was 15.1%. A total of 61 (34.1%) and 44 (24.6%) patients were diagnosed with pyelonephritis and renal stones, respectively. There were no significant differences in these complications among groups. Upper tract deterioration (UTD) was observed in 58 patients (32.4%). The incidence of UTD in the urethral catheter group (51.7%) was higher than that in other groups (P=0.008). Using multivariate analysis, patients with VUR were shown to have a higher risk of pyelonephritis (odds ratio 2.78; 95% confidence interval 1.16–6.68), and UTD (odds ratio 22.10; 95% confidence interval 6.92–70.56). We also found that UTD was more common for patients with an indwelling urethral catheter than for patients using other methods. For other variables, no positive association was observed. In cases which cannot undergo intermittent catheterization, or when the bladder cannot empty spontaneously, a suprapubic catheter is better than a urethral catheter for reducing UTD in this population. These findings suggest that even at a late stage post injury, bladder management methods are still important.