Abstract
Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the quality of life (QoL) with or without surgical intervention in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with neurogenic bladder.
Material and methods: A prospective study was conducted on SCI patients with neurogenic bladder. The questionnaires used to assess the QoL were the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey questionnaire (SF-36), the Incontinence questionnaire [Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI-6)], the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5), and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Patients were categorized into two groups: the first group consisted of patients who underwent a surgical procedure and the second group included patients managed by a conservative treatment option: clean intermittent bladder catheterization.
Results: Total of 29 patients included in the study, 13 patients underwent urinary diversion (mean age 45.84 +/- 16.41 years) and 16 patients had a conservative treatment (mean age: 47.61 +/- 13.90 years). The SF-36 questionnaire evaluation revealed that the bodily pain component was significantly lower in patients who underwent urinary diversion (p=0.009), whereas vitality (p=0.045) and social functioning (p=0.005) components were significantly lower in patients who underwent any type of urinary surgical procedure. The incontinence questionnaire (UDI-6) revealed significantly lower scores in patients who underwent urinary diversion (17.84 +/- 5.2) than patients who underwent a conservative treatment (4705 +/- 5.8; p=0.001).
Conclusion: Urinary surgical intervention improved the QoL in SCI patients with neurogenic bladder as per the UDI-6 scores. However, contrasting results of the SF-36 assessment warrant its further validation by conducting studies with a larger sample size.