Is the sensory innervation disturbed in the lower urinary tract of children with bed-wetting?

Abstract

The sensation of bladder filling during cystometry and the sensory thresholds towards electrical stimulation in the bladder and urethra were determined in a group of 35 children and young adults with enuresis nocturna and in 28 similar patients with other urodynamic dysfunctions. The variables of the filling sensation were not different between the groups. The sensory threshold of the urethra in girls was significantly higher in the bed-wetting group indicating a diminished electrosensation in this structure. In 2 patients with absent electrosensation, an unsuspected neuropathy was discovered. A search for an eventual deficient sensation in the lower urinary tract in children with persistent enuresis nocturna would seem worthwhile.