PRODROMAL CONTRACTIONS AND CONTRACTILITY IN THE FELINE BLADDER

In the cat there are at least two distinct contractile states of the b ladder during urine storage, one when prodromal contractions are prese nt and one when non-micturating contractions are present. It is propos ed that prodromal contractions are myogenic. This proposition was exam ined by comparing prodromal contractions before and after hypogastric nerve section as well as comparing prodromal contractions with the con tractions that remain after sectioning of the hypogastric nerves. Key contraction characteristics, such as amplitude, maximum gradient and t he variance of the intercontraction interval were not significantly ch anged by hypogastric nerve section, providing volume effects were corr ected for, which suggested that prodromal contractions have a myogenic origin.