Renal function in patients with spinal cord injury: the eighth year of a ten-year continuing study.

In the eighth year of a continuing study of renal function in patients with spinal cord injury, 78 percent had good function, 13 percent mild deterioration, 4 percent moderate deterioration and 5 percent severe deterioration of kidney function. No single factor was shown to be a dominant cause of decreased function. The factors most frequently associated with renal deterioration were vesicoureteral reflux, renal calculi, recurrent pyelonephritis as demonstrated by calyceal blunting, and recurrent decubitus ulcers, the latter usually in combination with other factors. Most of these factors could be prevented by good medical supervision and meticulous self-care.