Determine the infection risk of nonoperative versus operative repair of extraperitoneal bladder ruptures in patients with pelvic ring injuries. Pelvic ring injuries with extraperitoneal bladder ruptures were identified from a prospective trauma registry at two level 1 trauma centers from 2014 to 2020. Patients, injuries, treatments, and complications were reviewed. Using Fisher's exact test with significance at P value < 0.05, associations between injury treatment and outcomes were determined. Of the 1127 patients with pelvic ring injuries, 68 (6%) had a concomitant extraperitoneal bladder rupture. All patients received IV antibiotics for an average of 2.5 days. A suprapubic catheter was placed in 4 patients. Bladder repairs were performed in 55 (81%) patients, 28 of those simultaneous with ORIF anterior pelvic ring. The other 27 bladder repair patients underwent initial ex-lap with bladder repair and on average had pelvic fixation 2.2 days later. Nonoperative management of bladder rupture with prolonged Foley catheterization was used in 13 patients. Improved fracture reduction was noted in the ORIF cohort compared to the closed reduction external fixation cohort (P = 0.04). There were 5 (7%) deep infections. Deep infection was associated with nonoperative management of bladder rupture (P = 0.003) and use of a suprapubic catheter (P = 0.02). Not repairing the bladder increased odds of infection 17-fold compared to repair (OR 16.9, 95% CI 1.75 – 164, P = 0.01). Operative repair of extraperitoneal bladder ruptures substantially decreases risk of infection in patients with pelvic ring injuries. ORIF of anterior pelvic ring does not increase risk of infection and results in better reductions compared to closed reduction. Suprapubic catheters should be avoided if possible due to increased infection risk later. Treatment algorithms for pelvic ring injuries with extraperitoneal bladder ruptures should recommend early bladder repair and emphasize anterior pelvic ORIF

Bladder catheterisation following joint arthroplasty is not uncommon but delaying catheterisation in the postoperative period until the patient is symptomatic can produce an atonic bladder due to the distension. This can prolong catheterisation and increase the risk of urinary tract infection. We prospectively determined if we could identify patients needing pre-operative catheterisation. Method: 150 consecutive patients undergoing knee and hip arthroplasty were recruited. Pre-operative symptoms of frequency, nocturia, retention, incontinence and previous bladder or prostate surgery along with prior history of catheterisation were recorded. The type of anaesthesia and post-operative analgesia was noted. Details of catheterisation included duration, antibiotic administration, and reason for catheterisation and incidence of urinary tract infection. Results: Patients mean age was 67.7 years. 47 patients required catheterisation of which 56.6% were female. The mean age of patients catheterised was 70.6 years in comparison to 66.3 years (Mann-Whitney P< 0.01). The frequency of catheterisation was unrelated to the surgical procedure. Nocturia was significantly more common in-patients requiring catheterisation (Kruskal Wallis P=0.04) and its combination with pre-operative symptoms of frequency, retention or incontinence increased the significance further to P=0.001. Patient age of greater then 66 years had a 76.6% predictive value for the subsequent need of catheterisation. This further increased to 91.5% when combined with a previous history of either catheterisation or nocturia. The type of anaesthesia or the post-operative analgesia did not significantly influence catheterisation frequency. Conclusion: Patients aged greater then 66 years undergoing joint arthroplasty with previous history of catheterisation or nocturia may benefit from pre-operative bladder catheterisation. Peri-operative catheterisation of high-risk patients in theatre reduces patient discomfort caused by the observation period and avoids bladder atonia consequent of the distention, which may subsequently prolong catheterisation

Introduction: Postoperative overdistention of the bladder produces chronic, irreversible changes in the detrusor muscle. This study investigated whether an effective epidural, may cause postoperative overdistention of the bladder. Methods: A retrospective single surgeon/unit study of 144 male patients who had undergone spinal surgery over a two year period was undertaken. Data was collected into two groups: Patients requiring catheterisation and those that did not. All patients received a 16G epidural catheter inserted at the end of the procedure. Demographics, operation type and epidural rate were all correlated with the need for catheterization. In all cases the residual volumes were recorded. Results: Patients remained on postoperative epidural analgesia for an average of 50hours. 54 patients required urinary catheterisation. The average postoperative duration until catheterisation was 18hours, with a maximum of 33hours. The average residual volume at catheterization was 936mls, with a maximum of 2200mls. All patients were managed with intermittent catheterisation, most, (63%) requiring only a single episode before spontaneously voiding. Discussion: Although patients in the catheterised group were older, (p< 0.05), we found no other significant differences in patients that subsequently required catheterisation, when compared for operation type, or epidural infusion rates. We were therefore unable to predict which patients would require catheterisation. Questioning and bladder palpation was found to be unreliable when assessing overdistention. Our study demonstrated that patients undergoing spinal surgery using epidural analgesia should be closely monitored in order to prevent overdistention of the bladder and has led to a proactive regimen for spinal patients with epidural analgesia in our unit

Purpose and background:. Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) is a rare condition which, even in the presence of prompt surgical decompression, can have devastating consequences for patients in terms of bladder and bowel dysfunction. The aim of this project was to develop a post-operative pathway for the assessment and management of bladder and bowel dysfunction in patients with CES. Method:. Beaumont Hospital performs a high volume of spinal surgeries. A small number are lumbar decompression surgeries due to CES. While sphincter function is routinely screened by a physiotherapist post-operatively, to date there has been no protocol in place for assessment and management of bladder and bowel dysfunction in this population. This project was carried out in collaboration with consultants in urology and colorectal surgery, as well as clinical nurse specialists in both areas. Results:. All patients undergoing lumbar decompression due to CES will be referred to a colorectal surgeon for post-operatively review and out-patient monitoring. A routine bladder ultrasound will be completed post-operatively to assess for urinary retention with a post void residual > 150 mls of urine indicating the need for referral to a urologist for in-patient review and out-patient follow-up. A patient education leaflet has also been developed. Conclusions:. A pathway has been implemented at Beaumont Hospital to ensure timely referral to specialised teams for both assessment and management of bladder and bowel dysfunction in CES. This pathway will ensure prompt access to specialised and supportive multi-disciplinary teams in the days/weeks/months/years post-operatively thereby minimising the emotional distress and health risks associated with secondary complications of CES

INTRODUCTION. There is historical evidence of increased incidence of transitional cell tumours of the renal tract in workers exposed to high levels of metal ions. This study was designed to establish any correlation between Metal on metal bearing hip arthroplasty and TCC. METHODS. A prospective North-East database of 2900 Urology/Oncology cases was compared with the Freeman Joint Registry, which is a prospective database of all Arthroplasty performed since 2001 to establish any correlation with TCC. After comparing the Urology database with the Freeman Joint Registry from 2001 to 2011, a group of patients was identified who underwent hip replacement and had TCC of bladder. The incidence of TCC was calculated in patients who had metal on metal hip replacement and those who had metal on poly hip replacement. On comparing both the groups no significant difference in incidence of TCC of bladder was recorded. RESULTS. No increase in the incidence of transitional cell carcinoma was observed in patients who had metal on metal hip replacements compared to the one who had metal on polyethylene hips

Introduction purpose and background. Implicit in the diagnosis of CES is the presence of leg pain with a spectrum of bladder and/or bowel disturbance and/or peri-anal sensory loss. Current research describes the clinical features of patients with radiologically confirmed CES, but the specificity of these features is not known. This study explores the accuracy of patient self reported bladder or bowel dysfunction and numbness of the bottom in individuals presenting with lumbar nerve root pain. Methods and Results. A retrospective review of patient completed questionnaires, of 281 consecutive patients with leg dominant back pain, presenting to an interface service. 26% of patients reported bottom numbness. 25% reported recent bladder or bowel (B/B) changes. Following a comprehensive assessment including anal tone testing 10 patients were referred to the spinal on-call service. Of these 1 had surgical decompression for radiologically confirmed CES. A review of the hospital records suggests that none of the remaining sample were subsequently admitted for CES within 2 months of the assessment. Individually bottom numbness and recent changes to the B/B had a sensitivity of 1 and a specificity of 0.73. When both numbness of the bottom and changes to B/B are reported the sensitivity was 1 and the specificity was 0.9. Conclusion. Self reported clinical features suggestive of CES are not uncommon in this highly selective population. Individually numbness of the bottom and changes to B/B were highly sensitive and had moderate specificity. However, when both bottom numbness and changes to B/B are reported, the specificity is also high. The potential for improved clinical outcomes for the individual identified with confirmed CES is emphasised. This abstract has not been previously published in whole or substantial part nor has it been presented previously at a national meeting

This review provides a concise outline of the advances made in the care of patients and to the quality of life after a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) over the last century. Despite these improvements reversal of the neurological injury is not yet possible. Instead, current treatment is limited to providing symptomatic relief, avoiding secondary insults and preventing additional sequelae. However, with an ever-advancing technology and deeper understanding of the damaged spinal cord, this appears increasingly conceivable. A brief synopsis of the most prominent challenges facing both clinicians and research scientists in developing functional treatments for a progressively complex injury are presented. Moreover, the multiple mechanisms by which damage propagates many months after the original injury requires a multifaceted approach to ameliorate the human spinal cord. We discuss potential methods to protect the spinal cord from damage, and to manipulate the inherent inhibition of the spinal cord to regeneration and repair. Although acute and chronic SCI share common final pathways resulting in cell death and neurological deficits, the underlying putative mechanisms of chronic SCI and the treatments are not covered in this review.

This is a prospective study to determine if we could identify patients who may benefit from preoperative catheterisation in lower limb arthroplasty.

211 consecutive patients undergoing total hip and knee arthroplasty were recruited. There were 131 female (62%) and 80 male (32%), the mean age (+−1 S.D.) was 68+−12 years old. Patients’ demographic details and pre-operative urinary symptoms were recorded. Previous urological surgery and past history of urinary catherisation were also documented. The anaesthetist who was blinded from the study selected the type of anaesthesia and the post-operative analgesia regime. All patients were required to produce mid-stream urine sample before surgery and at post-operation. Urine tract infection was confirmed on a positive microbiological culture. Regression analysis was used to assess various co-variables to identify the high-risk groups.

35 female (56%) and 27 male (44%) were catheterised, the mean age (+−1 S.D.) was 72+/−14 years old. The frequency of catheterisation was unrelated to the surgical procedure, the type of anaesthesia or the postoperative pain control regime. Age over 65 years old and nocturia were significant indicators for urinary catheterisation (p< 0.05). Patients with urinary incontinence and nocturia were strong determinant for urinary catheterisation (p< 0.03). Males over the age 65 years with a past history of urinary catheterisation (p=0.037) were more likely to be catheterised than females of the same group (p=0.947). This has become more evidential if patients have coexisting urinary incontinence and nocturia (p=0.005). Females over the age of 65 years with urinary incontinence were also significant (p=0.013).

The sensitivity for urinary catheterisation in patients over the age of 65 years with previous history of catheterisation, urinary incontinence or nocturia was 89.7%. This group of patients would benefit from pre-operative urinary catheterisation.

Sacral fractures are often underdiagnosed, but are frequent in the setting of pelvic ring injuries. They are mostly caused by high velocity injuries or they can be pathological in aetiology. We sought to assess the clinical outcomes of the surgically treated unstable sacral fractures, with or without neurological deficits. unstable sacral fractures were included in the study. Single centre, prospectively collected data, retrospective review of patients who sustained vertically unstable fractures of the sacrum who underwent surgical fixation. out of a total of 432 patients with pelvis and acetabulum injuries. fifty six patients met the inclusion criteria. 18 patients had sustained zone one injuries. 14 patients had zone 2 injuries and 10 patients had zone 3 injurie. Operative fixation was performed percutaneously using cannulated screws in 18 patients.. Open fixation of the sacrum using the anterior approach in 6 patients. Posterior approach was indicates in all 10 of the zone 3 injuries of the sacrum. While in 4 patients, combined approaches were used. 3 patients had decompression and spinopelvic fixation. Neurological deficits were present in 16% of the patients. 2 patients presented with neurgenic bladder. Of the 4 patients who had neurological fall out, 3 resolved with posterior decompression and posterior fixation. All 4 neurological deficits were due to taction or compression of the nerve roots. No hardware failures or non unions observed. The rate of neurological deficit was related more to the degree of pelvic ring instability than to a particular fracture pattern. Low rates of complications and successful surgical treatment of sacral fractures is achiavable. Timeous accurate diagnosis mandatory

Objective. To investigate the relationship between the pattern of pelvic or acetabular fracture, and bladder injuries. Methods. A total of 173 patients admitted at our Academic Hospital from January 2006 to March 2012 with cystograms done for pelvic or acetabular fractures were studied retrospectively. Records of pelvic X-Rays, CT scans and cystograms were reviewed. Tile's classification and Young & Burgess classification were used for pelvic fractures and Judet & Letournel classification system for acetabular fractures. Results. Out of 173 patients 16% had bladder injuries of which 22% were intra-peritoneal and 70% were extra-peritoneal. The bladder injuries mostly occurred among male patients; 16 males compared to 9 female patients. Out of the 21 fractures of the acetabulum only 2 sustained bladder injury and they were secondary to gunshot wounds. Lateral compression fractures accounted for 67% of bladder injuries. Motor vehicle accidents were the leading mechanism of injury accounting for 117 patients in total and 81% of those with bladder injuries. Among the patients with bladder rupture 55% had at least 3 rami involved and only one patient (4%) with 1 ramus involved had a bladder injury. Overall 44 (34%) of patients with 3 or more rami fractured had bladder injury. Conclusion. Bladder injury appears to be related to the mechanism of injury. We recommend that a cystogram be done routinely when a patient presents with a type III lateral compression fracture. In isolated acetabulum fractures, single ramus fractures and lateral compression type I fractures, request for cystogram should be correlated with clinical signs and symptoms, and not done routinely. NO DISCLOSURES

Purpose of study. Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) is a surgical emergency. With Physiotherapists increasingly taking on first-contact and spinal triage roles, screening for CES must be as thorough and effective as possible. This study explores whether Physiotherapists are asking the correct questions, in the correct way and investigates their experiences when screening for this serious condition. Background. Thirty physiotherapists working in a community musculoskeletal service were purposively invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Data was transcribed and thematically analysed. Methods and Results. All participants routinely asked bladder, bowel function and saddle anaesthesia screening questions although only 9 routinely asked about sexual function. Whether questions are asked in the correct way has never been studied. Sufficient depth of questioning was achieved by 63% of participants, 76% used lay terminology and 73% used explicit language. Only 43% framed the questions before asking them and only 16% combined all four dimensions. Whilst most participants (n = 25) felt comfortable asking general CES questions, 50% reported feeling uncomfortable when asking about sexual function. Issues around; gender, culture and language were also highlighted. Conclusion. Four main themes emerged from this study; i) Physiotherapists ask the right questions but frequently omit sexual function questions, ii) mostly, Physiotherapists ask CES questions in a way that patients understand however, there needs to be improvement in framing the context of the questions, iii) Physiotherapists generally feel comfortable with CES screening but there is some awkwardness surrounding discussion of sexual function and iv) Physiotherapists perceive there to be barriers to effective CES screening caused by culture and language. Conflicts of interest: No conflicts of interest. Sources of funding: No funding obtained. Previously presented poster at BritSpine 2021 and VPUK 2021

Aim. Patient quality of life (QoL) in untreated bone infection was compared to other chronic conditions and stratified by disease severity. Method. Patients referred for treatment of osteomyelitis (including fracture related infection) were identified prospectively between 2019 and 2023. Patients with confirmed infection completed the EuroQol EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. Clinicians blinded to EQ-index score, grouped patients according to JS-BACH Classification into ‘Uncomplicated’, ‘Complex’ or ‘Limited treatment options’. A systematic review of the literature was performed of other conditions that have been stratified using EQ-index score. Results. 257 patients were referred, and 219 had suspected osteomyelitis. 196 patients had long bone infection and reported an average EQ-index score of 0.455 (SD 0.343). 23 patients with pelvic osteomyelitis had an average EQ-index score of 0.098 (SD 0.308). Compared to other chronic conditions, patients with long-bone osteomyelitis had worse QoL when compared to different types of malignancy (including bladder, oropharyngeal, colorectal, thyroid and myeloma), cardiorespiratory disease (including asthma, COPD and ischaemic heart disease), psychiatric conditions (including depression, pain and anxiety), endocrine disorders (including diabetes mellitus), neurological conditions (including Parkinson's disease, chronic pain and radiculopathy) and musculoskeletal conditions (including osteogenesis imperfecta, fibrous dysplasia and x-linked hypophosphataemic rickets). QoL in long-bone infection was similar to conditions such as Prada-Willi syndrome, Crohn's disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Patients who had a history of stroke or multiple sclerosis reported worse QoL scores compared to long-bone infection. Patients who had pelvic osteomyelitis gave significantly lower QoL scores when compared to all other conditions that were available for comparison in the literature. In long bone infection, 41 cases (21.0%) were classified as ‘Uncomplicated’, 136 (69.4%) as ‘Complex’ and 19 (9.7%) as ‘Limited treatment options available’. Within classification stratification, patients with ‘Uncomplicated’ long bone infections reported a mean EQ-index score of 0.618 (SD 0.227) which was significantly higher compared to ‘Complex’ (EQ-index: 0.410 SD 0.359, p=0.004) and ‘Limited treatment options available’ (EQ-index: 0.400 SD 0.346, p=0.007). Conclusions. Bone and joint infections have a significant impact on patient quality of life. It is much worse when compared to other common chronic conditions, including malignancy, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. This has not been previously reported but may focus attention on the need for more investment in this patient group

Scoliosis correction surgery is one of the longest and most complex procedures of all orthopedic surgery. The complication rate is therefore not negligible and is particularly high when the surgery is performed in patients with neuromuscular or connective tissue disease or complex genetic syndromes. In fact, these patients have various comorbidities and organ deficits (respiratory capacity, swallowing / nutrition, heart function, etc.), which can compromise the outcome of the surgery. In these cases, an accurate assessment and preparation for surgery is essential, also making use of external consultants. To make this phase simpler, more effective and homogeneous, a multidisciplinary path of peri-operative optimization is being developed in our Institute, which also includes the possibility of post-operative hospitalization for rehabilitation and recovery. The goal is to improve the basic functional status as much as possible, in order to ensure faster functional recovery and minimize the incidence of peri-operative complications, to be assessed by clinical audit. The path model and the preliminary results on the first patients managed according to the new modality are presented here. The multidisciplinary path involves the execution of the following assessments / interventions: • Pediatric visit with particular attention to the state of the upper airways and the evaluation of chronic or frequent inflammatory states • Cardiological Consultation with Echocardiogram. • Respiratory Function Tests, Blood Gas Analysis and Pneumological Consultation to evaluate indications for preoperative respiratory physiotherapy cycles, Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) cycles, Cough Machine. Possible Polysomnography. • Nutrition consultancy to assess the need for nutritional preparation in order to improve muscle trophism. • Consultation of the speech therapist in cases of dysphagia for liquids and / or solids. • Electroencephalogram and Neurological Consultation in epileptic patients. • Physiological consultation in patients already being treated with a cough machine and / or NIV. • Availability of postoperative hospitalization in the rehabilitation center (with skills in respiratory and neurological rehabilitation) for the most complex cases. When all the appropriate assessments have been completed, the anesthetist in charge at our Institute examines the clinical documentation and establishes whether the path can be considered complete and whether the patient is ready for surgery. At the end of the surgery, the patient is admitted to the Post-operative Intensive Care Unit of the Institute. If necessary, a new program of postoperative rehabilitation (respiratory, neuromotor, etc.) is programmed in a specialist reference center. To date, two patients have been referred to the preoperative optimization path: one with Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, and one with 6q25 Microdeletion Syndrome. In the first case, the surgery was performed successfully, and the patient was discharged at home. In the second case, after completing the optimization process, the surgery was postponed due to the finding of urethral malformation with the impossibility of bladder catheterization, which made it necessary to proceed with urological surgery first. The preliminary case series presented here is still very limited and does not allow evaluations on the impact of the program on the clinical practice and the complication rate. However, these first experiences made it possible to demonstrate the feasibility of this complex multidisciplinary path in which a network of specialists takes part

Injuries to the lower urinary tract are well recognized following fractures to the pelvic ring. The overall incidence of pelvic fractures is similar in men and women. However associated urological injuries occur less frequently in women. There are very few reported cases of combined bladder and urethral injury or combined intra- and extraperitoneal bladder rupture in women. Only two cases have been reported describing communication of the hip joint and an extra peritoneal bladder rupture. To our knowledge we are the first to describe a pelvic ring injury complicated by combined intra and extra-peritoneal bladder rupture, urethral injury and direct intraperitoneal communication of the ruptured bladder with a central dislocation of the hip joint. The mechanism of bladder laceration was gross displacement of the quadrilateral plate and pubic rami following acetabular fracture. This bone was found at laparotomy to be lying within the bladder cavity

The purpose of this study is to find the clinical outcome of decompression of Cauda Equina presenting late in the course of disease. There were 33 males and 17 females with average age of 48 years, ranging from 25 to 85 years. All patients presented to us with a fully developed Cauda Equina syndrome (CES). All of them presented late with mean delay of 12.2 days. Time interval between bladder and bowel dysfunction and admission to hospital varied from 1 to 35 days. The average follow-up was 34.5 months, ranging from 12 to 60 months. There was no statistically significant difference in time of delay in surgery between the recovered and non-recovered group as tested by Student's t test. But there was a statistically significant positive correlation between duration taken for total recovery and delay in surgery. Anal wink as a predictor of bladder and bowel recovery also showed statistical significance, as patients with an absence had a poorer prognosis for bladder recovery. The result of surgery in CES is not as dramatic and fast as seen after routine disc surgery. Some improvement can be expected with decompression even in those patients presenting late and results are not universally poor as previously thought. The treating physicians of such patients should be aware that the recovery in this group of patients can take an exceptionally long time and hence should involve in constant reassurance and rehabilitation of the patient. Presence of anal wink is a very good predictor of bladder and bowel recovery

Introduction: Injuries to the urinary tract are a well known complication in patients with pelvic trauma. A severe urological injury frequently results in adverse long term outcome and prolonged disability. We present a review of the results of management of urological injury and the impact on final outcome in patients with pelvic fractures. Patients: Out of 554 patients admitted to our center with pelvic fracture, 39 with injury to the urinary tract were identified – 8 females and 31 males (study group). The mean age of the patients was 30.9 yrs (range 15 to 71 yrs) and the mean ISS was 12.9 (range 9 to 22). Two patients had a skin wound communicating with fracture hematoma. Seven (18 %) had upper tract injury, 6 (15.4 %) had extraperitoneal bladder rupture, 9 (23.1 %) had intraperitoneal rupture, 3 (7.6 %) had bladder neck injury and 14 (35.9 %) had urethral injury. The mechanism and type of injury, initial management, timing of urological intervention, orthopaedic procedure complications and long term result in terms of incontinence, stricture and sexual dysfunction were assessed. All patients were assessed based on Orthopaedic, urological and the Euroqol (EQ5D) generic health questionnaire and compared to age and sex matched control group of 47 patients with similar pelvic injuries and ISS but no urological injury. The mean follow up period was 2.3 years. Results: Upper urinary tract injuries: All were managed nonoperatively and had a uniformly good outcome except one patient who had a traumatic renal vein thrombosis and required nephrectomy. Three had acetabular fractures (one ant column and 2 both column fractures) and 4 had pelvic ring injuries (2 AP, 2 LC). Six were operated with av. time delay between injury and surgery being 7.1 days. We consider the urological injury related to the general trauma rather than the specific pelvic injury. Lower tract injuries: 14 out of 15 patients with bladder rupture had a repair of bladder within 24 hours of arrival at our center. One with a small extra-peritoneal tear was managed nonoperatively. Seven had LC injury, 6 had ARC and 2 had acetabular fractures (both column). One of the acetabulum fractures was managed by fixation and bladder repair on the day of arrival and the other had secondary congruence, which was not operated. Pelvic ring injuries were managed by internal and/or external fixation as appropriate. The average time delay between injury and surgery was 1.8 days. One patient with AP2 fracture died after 3 weeks due to severity of associated visceral injuries. Three patients reported failure of erection. All three patients with bladder neck injury had an APC fracture. Two were managed by immediate repair (day 1 and day 2) and had normal continence. One repair was delayed due to delay in transfer and was done on the 4th day. He developed faecal and urinary incontinence and loss of sexual function. Thirteen males had urethral injury – average age 37 yrs (range 19 to 70 years). Five had APC and five LC pelvic ring injuries, three had acetabular fractures. Three patients had a primary urethrostomy for a gap defect and two of these developed erectile dysfunction. Two were referred late to our center and were managed by continent urinary diversion. The rest had a catheter railroaded to maintain alignment of the two urethral ends and delayed repair was done for three patients. One patient in this group had sexual dysfunction while 5 developed a stricture. The only female patient with urethral injury had an open tilt fracture associated with urethral tear. The control group had 7 acetabular fractures, 19 AP compression, 17 lateral compression injuries and 4 vertical shear injuries. Four were managed nonoperatively. None of these had an open fracture. The average time delay between injury and surgery was 2.2 days. We found no significant difference between the study and the control group in the outcome on comparing patients with upper tract and bladder injuries but the urethral injury group had a poorer result in all 5 parameters of the EQ5D. Conclusions: Upper tract and bladder injuries in the context of pelvic trauma can be successfully managed as described, they do not add significant morbidity compared to the control group. In contrast urethral injuries significantly affected the outcome after pelvic fracture in terms of general health and return to normal function. Early management with primary alignment at the time of pelvic stabilisation and a delayed repair if required produced good results. A high index of suspicion and routine retrograde urethrograms would reduce risk of missed or iatrogenic injury. A team approach is required to achieve optimum results

To evaluate the results of management of urological injury and the impact on final outcome in patients with pelvic fractures. Out of 554 patients with pelvic fractures, 39 (7%)(8 female) were identified with urinary tract injuries. The mean age of the patients was 30.9 yrs (range 15–71) and the mean ISS was 12.9 (range 9–22). Seven (18 %) had upper tract injury, 6 (15.4 %) had extraperitoneal bladder rupture, 9 (23.1 %) had intraperitoneal rupture, 3 (7.6 %) had bladder neck injury and 14 (35.9 %) had urethral injury. Timing of urological intervention, complications and long term result in terms of incontinence, stricture and sexual dysfunction were assessed. All patients were assessed based on Orthopaedic, urological and the Euroqol (EQ5D) generic health questionnaire and compared to age and sex matched control group of 47 patients with similar pelvic injuries and ISS but no urological injury. The mean follow up period was 2.3 years. Upper urinary tract injuries: All were managed non-operatively and had a uniformly good outcome except one patient who had a traumatic renal vein thrombosis and required nephrectomy. Lower tract injuries: 14 out of 15 patients with bladder rupture had a repair of bladder within 24 hours of arrival at our center. One with a small extraperitoneal tear was managed nonoperatively. Three patients reported failure of erection. Two were managed by immediate repair (day 1 and day 2) and had normal continence. One repair was delayed due to delay in transfer and was done on the 4th day. He developed faecal and urinary incontinence and loss of sexual function. Thirteen males had urethral injury. Three patients had a primary urethrostomy for a gap defect and two of these developed erectile dysfunction. Two were referred late to our center and were managed by continent urinary diversion. The rest had a catheter railroaded to maintain alignment of the two urethral ends and delayed repair was done for three patients. One patient in this group had sexual dysfunction while 5 developed a stricture. We found no significant difference between the study and the control group in the outcome on comparing patients with upper tract and bladder injuries but the urethral injury group had a poorer result in all 5 parameters of the EQ5D. Upper tract and bladder injuries do not add significant morbidity compared to the control group. In contrast urethral injuries significantly affected the outcome after pelvic fracture in terms of general health and return to normal function

Introduction. Urinary catheterisation can cause bacteraemia and therefore may be associated with a risk of infection in hip and knee arthroplasty. However postoperative urinary retention can be distressing for the patient. This study investigates the factors that might predict the need for postoperative catheterisation in order to help develop a protocol to decide who should be electively catheterised. Methods. A prospective blinded study of 128 consecutive patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty was carried out. No patient underwent perioperative catheterisation. Data obtained included sex, age, joint (hip or knee replacement), prostate score (IPSS), previous urinary retention, comorbidities and residual bladder volume after attempted complete voiding measured using an ultrasound bladder scanner. The type of anaesthesia and the requirement for urinary catheterisation postoperatively were recorded. Predictive risk factors were identified using binary logistic regression, and expressed as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. The mean age was 69.5 years (SD 8.9). There were 56 males and 72 females. 38 patients (30%) required postoperative catheterisation. Logistic regression identified the following predictive risk factors: bladder scan volume per ml increase (OR 1.006; CI 1.000–1.012); male sex (OR 5.51; CI 2.01–15.16); previous catheter (OR 4.26; CI 1.53–11.82); spinal/epidural/combined spinal epidural (CSE) anaesthesia (OR 6.78; CI 1.75–26.32); moderate IPSS score (OR 5.15; CI 1.73–15.37); severe IPSS score (OR 3.53; CI 0.605–20.54). The specificity of our model is 91%, the positive predictor value 71% and negative predictor value 82%. Discussion. Post-voiding bladder scan volume (1ml increase = 0.6% increased risk), male sex, history of retention, medium or high IPSS score and an epidural, spinal or CSE anaesthetic are independent risk factors that can be used preoperatively to predict the likelihood of postoperative retention

Introduction Experimental heterotopic bone formation in the canine urinary bladder has been observed for more than seventy years without revealing the origin of the osteoinductive signals. In 1931, Huggins demonstrated bone formation in a fascial transplant to the urinary bladder. Through an elaborate set of experiments, it was found that proliferating canine transitional epithelial cells from the urinary system act as a source of osteoinduction. Urist performed a similar series of experiments in guinea pigs as Huggins did in his canine model. After two weeks, mesenchymal cells condensed against the columnar epithelium and membranous bone with haversian systems and marrow began to form juxtapose the basement membrane. At no time was cartilage formation noted, only direct membranous bone formation. They also demonstrated the expression of BMP’s in migrating epithelium and suggested that BMP is the osteoinductive factor in heterotopic bone formation. Method This study was approved by Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. Six dogs underwent a mid-line laparotomy incision followed by mobilisation of a right sided myoperitioneal vascularised flap based on an inferior epigastric artery pedicle. A sagittal cystotomy is made in the dome of the bladder and the vascularised flap was sutured in place with acryl absorbable, continuous suture. The animals were sacrificed at 6 weeks. The bladder samples were removed and assessed by histology and immunohistochemistry. Sections were incubated with optimal dilution of primary antibody for type I collagen, type III collagen, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and –4, osteocalcin (OCN), osteopontin (OPN), bone sialoprotein (BSP). Results The mechanism for bone formation induced by the epithelial-mesenchymal cell interactions is not clear. We were able to demonstrate mature lamellar bone formation 6 weeks after transplanting a portion of the abdominal smooth muscle into the bladder wall. The bone formed immediately adjacent to the proliferating transitional uroepithelium, a prerequisite for bone formation in Huggins’ model. Here we report evidence of cartilage formation and therefore endochondral ossification as well as membranous bone formation. This is very similar histologically to the process of endochondral ossification at the growth plate in the growing skeleton. We propose a mechanism for the expression of BMP by epithelial cells. Discussion This study demonstrates transitional epithelium induced formation of chondrocytes and osteoblasts in muscle tissue. The sequential expression of bone matrix proteins was related to cell proliferation, differentiation and formation of endochondral and membranous bone. Further information regarding the molecular mechanism of bone formation induced by epithelial-mesenchymal cell interactions will improve understanding of cell differentiation during osteogenesis

Introduction. Displaced fractures in the sacrum are associated with other intra-pelvic organ injuries. There are some reports on short term outcome, however there is little knowledge about the long-term morbidity after these severe injuries. Aims of study. -. Describe neurologic deficits in the lower extremities and impairments involving the uro-genital, bowel and sexual functions a minimum of 8 years after injury. -. Compare the long-term results with our previously published results after one-year follow-up (1). Materials and methods. 39 consecutive patients with displaced sacral fractures were prospectively registered at Oslo university hospital, Ullevaal between 1996 and 2001. Tötterman et al. published 1-year results on 32 of the 39 patients(1). In the present study we followed 29 of these 32 patients for 8 years or more. The following evaluation instruments were used: Neurology: Sensorimotor function was classified according to ASIA score. Bladder function: Structured questionnaire with regards to frequency, urge or incontinence. Also, flowmetry and ultrasound were done to determine maximum flow and post-micturition volume. Bowel function: Structured questionnaire with regards to frequency, urge, diarrhea, constipation and incontinence. Sexual function: Open questions to address any problems associated with sexual function. For male patients, selected questions from the International Index of Erectile Function were used. For comparison with previous data from the one year follow-up we used the Wilcoxon Signed-rank test for non-parametric data. Results. Neurology: 26 patients had neurologic deficits in the lower extremities. Two patients were not testable and only 1 was asymptomatic. Bladder function: 5 had slightly changed, 11 significantly changed and 4 completely changed voiding pattern. Bowel function: 6 had slightly changed and 3 completely changed bowel pattern. Comparing our results with previous data showed deterioration in voiding function over time in 38%(p=0.005), improved bowel function in 28%(p=0.047) and no significant changes in neurological deficits (p=0.47). Sexual function: 45% reported sexual dysfunction versus 38% at the 1-year follow-up. Conclusion. Neurologic deficits, uro-genital and bowel dysfunction are frequent after displaced sacral fractures. Voiding and sexual problems deteriorated over time, while bowel function improved, and neurological deficits showed no significant changes. Pathologic bladder function may cause irreversible structural damage to the bladder, and subsequent impaired renal function. These problems should therefore be addressed early in the rehabilitation period and the patients must be followed by adequate expertise for many years after the injury