Correlation between bladder echography and urodynamic examination in patients with multiple sclerosis

Ultrasonography take a predominant place in the evaluation of urologic complications in SM patients. SM can cause urinary disorders according to entity and level of the primary lesion with important repercussion on the upper urinary tract. Aim of this work is to value the sensibility of ultrasonography in the identification of bladder wall abnormalities indicative of involvement of upper urinary tract, correlated with urodynamic evaluation. Since 1993 we performed 116 urological ultra sound in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. We considered pathologic bladders with wall abnormalities or with stones, considering those abnormalities as secondary to altered emptying of the bladder. 65 patients showed wall abnormalities while 51 patients had any alteration evaluated with ultrasonography. In the first group the amplitude of uninhibited detrusor contractions was 74 cmH2O, while in the second group it was 61 cm H2O: the difference was statistically significant. Furthermore the incidence of upper tract alterations was significantly higher in the first group (p = 0.005), even in absence of signs of renal failure. Thus, ultrasonography demonstrated a high sensibility in detecting bladder conditions possibly conducive to upper urinary tract deterioration.