Objectives: To compare, in a retrospective fashion, the long-term urologic complications in male patients with spinal cord injury managed with and without indwelling urinary catheters.
Methods: The records of 142 consecutive male patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries sustained between 1975 and 1985 (inclusive) were reviewed. Fifty-six patients were managed with indwelling urinary catheters, and 86 were managed without an indwelling catheter. Urinary complications were recorded for each patient under the following general subheadings: renal, urinary tract infection, stones, urethral, and other.
Results: In all, there were 95 complications in the noncatheterized group versus 202 in the catheterized group (P = 0.007). The catheterized group experienced significantly more problems with renal damage, recurrent urinary tract infection, stones, and urethral complications.
Conclusions: Our study shows that elimination of indwelling urinary catheters in patients with spinal cord injury will significantly reduce the incidence of urinary tract complications and lead to better preservation of renal function.