The nonneurogenic neurogenic bladder of early infancy.

Abstract

The nonneurogenic neurogenic bladder has traditionally been believed to represent a disorder of older children. We report on patients in whom congenital dysfunctional voiding may be the underlying cause of nonneurogenic neurogenic bladder in early infancy. We evaluated 5 male and 2 female patients newborn to 30 months old with dysfunctional neurogenic bladder and no evidence of neurological pathology or anatomical outflow obstruction. Presentation included prenatal hydronephrosis in 3 cases, urosepsis in 2 and failure to thrive in 2. Radiological and urodynamic investigations revealed thick walled, poorly compliant bladders in 5 patients and incomplete bladder emptying bordering on urinary retention in 2. There was significant upper tract pathology in all cases, including azotemia in 4, reflux in 4 and hydroureteronephrosis in 6. Due to poor bladder function, manifested by incomplete emptying or high storage pressures, all patients were initially treated with cutaneous vesicostomy. Bladder appearance and function subsequently improved in 3 patients and vesicostomy was reversed. Three patients with persistently thickened bladders, including 2 with renal failure, underwent bladder augmentation. The remaining patient had improved bladder storage function but requires intermittent catheterization. The nonneurogenic neurogenic bladder represents a rare, severe form of dysfunctional voiding that may be present even in the neonatal period.