Restoration of bladder function

Bladder/bowel dysfunction is a major clinical/quality of life issue for those suffering a SCI. There are a few strategies being examined to recover bladder function including some drug interventions and functional electrical stimulation (FES). According to Lee (SfN2009 Program# 858.4) there has to date been far less focus on regeneration strategies to promote recovery of efficient bladder function.

Using a combinatorial approach that included treating with growth factor, a graft of peripheral nerve serving as a tissue bridge across the injury and chondroitinase to encourage regenerating axons to exit the graft, Lee and colleagues (Case Western Reserve University, Ohio) were able to demonstrate recovery of a more normal pattern of bladder emptying at one month post injury.

When they looked they found clear evidence of more extensive regeneration into the peripheral nerve graft and crucially beyond into the spinal cord itself.

The improvements in bladder reflexes they found may well be due to a newly formed circuitry via this nerve regeneration.