Rabbit as a model of urinary bladder function.

Micturition is a complex neuromuscular process. Although control mechanisms have been identified at several levels of the central nervous system and spinal cord, the final pathway in the control of micturition is the autonomic innervation of the urinary bladder and related structures. Following this line of reasoning further, micturition is ultimately dependent on the ability of the urinary bladder to both contract and generate intravesical pressure, and to modify its shape in such a way as to efficiently expel its contents without leaving a high residual volume. In order to understand the various elements of micturition, a wide variety of both in vivo and in vitro animal models has been developed. In many cases, animal models have been utilized to describe the effect of specific experimental pathologies on the lower urinary tract. The current review of the use of the rabbit in urological research is not meant to be a comprehensive treatise on the topic, but should provide a rational description of the how this species can be utilized to study both normal and pathological function.