Investigation of the afferent nerves of the lower urinary tract in patients with 'complete' and 'incomplete' spinal cord injury.

In 52 patients with a post-traumatic spinal cord lesion, both proprioception and exteroception in the lower urinary tract were investigated by determination of filling perception and with sensory threshold measurement towards electrical stimulation. Patients with incomplete lesions had one or both types of perception. Of the 42 patients, with a lesion diagnosed clinically as complete, 15 perceived bladder filling, electrical stimulation or both stimuli, indicating the existence of a nervous afferent pathway between the lower urinary tract and the cerebral cortex.