Article

The majority of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) will develop
neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction (NLUTD).
These patients require a
long-term urological follow-up.
The follow-up protocol has varied across SCI
units in the United Kingdom and Eire. We reviewed the long-term management in the
SCI units to identify changes in practice over a decade and compared them to
current guidelines. METHODS: We present results of a review of all SCI centres in
the United Kingdom and Eire on their long-term urological management before and
after the current guidelines and compared the results with European Association
of Urology (EAU) Guidelines on NLUTD and the proposed British guidelines for the
urological management of patients with SCI. Data were collected through
questionnaires posted to SCI units. RESULTS: SCI patients are followed up in
outpatients annually in the SCI centres and the frequency of follow-up remains
largely unchanged. More SCI units perform renal tract imaging annually as a part
of SCI follow-up. Most units follow the proposed British guideline indications
for urodynamics and do not perform 'routine urodynamics'. CONCLUSIONS: We
conclude that the long-term management of SCI patients in SCI units in the United
Kingdom and Eire has changed overtime to follow the proposed British guidelines.
EAU guidelines offer a more extensive follow-up regime. Last, there is a
continued lack of high-quality evidence to support an optimal long-term follow-up
protocol. Importantly, there is a lack of evidence on clinical outcomes when
these guidelines have been followed.

Langue : ANGLAIS