Closure of the bladder neck in spinal cord injury patients with urethral sphincteric incompetence and irreparable urethral pathological conditions.

Total urinary incontinence developed secondary to incompetence of the urethral closing mechanism in 8 spinal cord injury patients who were on Foley catheter drainage (5 patients) or suprapubic cystostomy (3 patients). All patients had irreparable urethrocutaneous fistulas and 4 had urethroperineal erosion. Closure of the bladder neck with drainage via a suprapubic cystostomy tube was used to divert the urinary stream. Bladder neck closure was successful in alleviating total urethral urinary incontinence in all patients. However, suprapubic abdominal leakage developed in 2 patients. This procedure should be recommended cautiously when a maximal bladder capacity greater than 125 cc cannot be maintained unless concomitant augmentation cystoplasty also is considered.