[Urological management of female spinal cord injury patients--clinical survey of 28 cases].

Most of the literature about the urological management of spinal cord injury patients is on male patients, and the method of the urological treatment for male spinal cord injury patients is often not useful for female patients. A clinical survey was done on 28 female neurogenic bladder patients after spinal cord injury treated at our Hospital between January, 1980 and January, 1985. At discharge, 11 patients (39.3%) were catheter free, 3 (10.7%) were managed by clean intermittent self catheterization, 1 (3.6%) was managed by clean intermittent catheterization by a helper, and 13 (46.4%) were on indwelling catheters. One of the main reasons that prevents female spinal cord injury patients from becoming catheter free is that there are no effective external collecting devices or devices to prevent urinary incontinence for female neurogenic bladder patients. Another reason is that some female patients can not obtain a high enough ADL level for toilet activities by rehabilitation in spite of lower thoracic or lumbar lesions.