title: Lower Urinary Tract Function in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 6.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate lower urinary tract function in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6).
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited, without bias, nine SCA6 patients with a mean cytosine-adenine-guanine repeat length of 24.3 (21-26, normal <18). They were four men, five women; mean age 58.6 years; mean disease duration 8.2 years. We performed a urinary symptom questionnaire and a urodynamics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Urinary symptoms were observed in five of nine patients (56%) and urinary frequency in three of nine patients (33%), and none had urinary retention. Urodynamic abnormalities included detrusor overactivity in one (11%) and weak detrusor on voiding in two, but none had postvoid residual urine. Sphincter electromyography revealed, while mild in degree, neurogenic change in five of the eight patients (63%) on whom the test was performed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We observed urinary frequency in 33%; detrusor overactivity in only 11%; and neurogenic change in the sphincter electromyography in 63% of our nine SCA6 patients. These findings might be relevant to the cerebellar and spinal cord pathologies of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Fuyuki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tateno
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sakakibara
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Emina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Toho University, Sakura, JapanClinical Physiology Unit, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Urology, Toho University, Sakura, JapanDepartment of Neurology, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuyuzaki
keywords: Onuf's nucleus; cerebellum; detrusor overactivity; lower urinary tract; spinocerebellar ataxia type 6