USE OF SACRAL REFLEX LATENCY MEASUREMENTS IN THE EVALUATION OF NEURALFUNCTION OF SPINAL-CORD INJURY PATIENTS - A COMPARISON OF NEURO-UROPHYSIOLOGICAL TESTING AND URODYNAMIC INVESTIGATIONS

Complete suprasacral spinal cord injury is followed by great changes i n the neural control and function of the lower urinary tract. In the l iterature there is some controversy about the relationship between det rusor function and results of neurophysiological tests of sacral root conduction after the spinal shock phase. Therefore, we studied this re lationship in a group of 73 patients with clinical as well as neurophy siological documented complete suprasacral spinal cord injury, and com pared sacral reflex latency measurements (bulbocavernosus and urethro- anal reflexes) with detrusor function, documented by urodynamic invest igation. A high incidence of sacral reflex latency abnormalities was f ound. Comparison of sacral reflex latencies with detrusor reflex activ ity showed a statistical significant correlation. No such relationship could be found between urodynamic characteristics of the detrusor in patients with detrusor hyperreflexia and sacral reflex latency measure ments. We conclude that sacral reflex latency measurements can give an indication about the existence of reflex detrusor activity. On the ot her hand, these neurophysiological measurements do not provide a relia ble indication of the detrusor function after complete spinal cord inj ury.