title: The short-term effect of radical hysterectomy on urethral and bladder function.
abstract: To investigate bladder neck and urethral function after radical hysterectomy, 21 patients were investigated before and 3 months after the operation. Each patient had an excretory urogram, CO2 cystoscopy, uroflowmetry, water cystometry and a urethral pressure profile, using a dual sensor microtransducer catheter, at rest and during stress. Postoperatively there was a significant reduction in urethral length and urethral closure pressure; however, pressure transmission ratios were maintained, indicating no loss of bladder neck support with stress. Of the six patients with pre-operative bladder neck weakness, two (33%) had stress urinary incontinence at the 3 months assessment. No patient with a normal pre-operative assessment developed this complication. Fifteen (71%) voided by abdominal straining and this manoeuvre emptied the bladder effectively. These data suggest that patients with pre-operative evidence of an incompetent bladder neck may be predisposed to develop stress urinary incontinence after radical hysterectomy because of a reduction in the urethral closure pressure.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D014521:Urethra / Q000503:physiopathology; D014522:Urethral Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000503:physiopathology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014554:Urination; D014563:Urodynamics