Bladder storage and emptying disorder frequencies in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients with bladder dysfunction

Background: Bladder dysfunction is common in stroke patients and it has a considerable impact on their lives. The objective of this study was to investigate the frequencies of urine storage and emptying disorders in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke patients with persistent bladder dysfunction. Methods: A total of 48 stroke patients who underwent urodynamic tests because of persistent bladder dysfunction were evaluated retrospectively. Urine storage and emptying disorder frequencies were determined and compared in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke subgroups. Results: Storage disorder frequencies were 73.3 and 63.6% in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke groups, respectively ( p > 0.05), while emptying disorder frequencies were 13.3 and 51.5% ( p < 0.02). Conclusions: Evaluation of the stroke type may be helpful in the determination of the type of urinary dysfunction and in choosing the appropriate bladder management strategy, but further studies with larger sample sizes are needed. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.