Intermittent self-catheterization, and alternative in the treatment of neurogenic urinary incontinence in women.

Preservation of kidney function and management of incontinence are the main goals of urological rehabilitation in patients with neurogenic bladder disturbance. It is also the assumption of social intergration. Whereas in male patients this problem can be mostly solved, if need be, by a urinal, females still rely on pads or operative procedures with the risk of complications and failures. For this group of patients intermittent catheterization and, respectively, intermittent self-catheterization, is in selected cases a helpful and harmless method to achieve this goal. Contrary to operative procedures nothing is destroyed and all possibilities remain open for further and better treatment, hopefully soon available. This report presents our experience and results from 12 female patients with neurogenic urinary incontinence, who were treated with this method between 1972 and 1976.