For many years, pelvic nerve damage causing vesico-urethral dysfunctions after radical hysteretomy for carcinoma of the cervix uteri has been a well-recognized long term complication. Therefore, many women represented the difficulty in urination, urinary incontinence, and high residual urine after that operation. This study showed the urodynamic and electrophysiologic findings in 22 women undergoing radical abdominal hysterectomy for carcinoma of the cervix uteri and the importance of early rehabilitative therapy for the functional recovery of the bladder.
The results were ad follows;
1) In urodynamic study, there were 22 patients with areflexic bladder, and 2 with normoreflexia.
2) In electrodiagnostic study, bulbocavernosus reflex latencies were acceptable ranges in 14 patients, but not so in 8. And pudendal somatosensory evoked potential study showed normal for 20, and prolonged in 2 patients.
3) We have obtained a satisfactory functional recovery of the bladder activity in all patients within mean 20.8 days after Foley catheter removal and early rehabilitation treatment with kinesitherapy and/or pharmacological therapy.
