title: Bladder dysfunction after proximal urethrolysis in female dogs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Functional changes in the bladder after proximal urethrolysis are not recognized, despite the development of neuroanatomical studies of the female urethra or functional studies of the urethra after cystectomy. The aim of the present pilot study is to investigate possible functional changes in the bladder after proximal urethrolysis in female dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  The bilateral nerve branches to the urethra were resected by separating the urethra from the anterior vaginal wall in 10 female dogs. Pre- and postoperative cystometrograms were recorded under anesthesia and the bladder capacity, threshold pressure for micturition and bladder stiffness (the inverse of compliance) were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen days postoperatively, the bladder capacity significantly decreased and the threshold pressure and bladder stiffness significantly increased. Eight weeks after surgery, the threshold pressure and bladder stiffness remained high, but the bladder capacity tended to return to baseline values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that proximal urethrolysis with bilateral sections of the nerve branches to the urethra produces a low-compliant bladder in the early postoperative period and suggest that afferent stimuli from the urethra may participate in maintaining a compliant bladder during filling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Japan. komokos@janis.ot.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Igawa
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Khaleque
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D014521:Urethra / Q000294:innervation / Q000601:surgery*; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D001745:Urinary Bladder Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014563:Urodynamics; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*