Neurogenic Bladder Child

Causes

Neurogenic bladder is caused by damage or injury to the nerves moving messages between the bladder and the brain. The nerve damage makes it hard for the brain to know when the bladder should drain.

Risk Factors

Things that raise a child's chance of neurogenic bladder include:

• Problems at birth that affect the spinal cord, such as spina bifida
• Spinal cord injury
• Tumors of the brain or spinal cord in the pelvic area
• Infection of the brain or spinal cord

Symptoms

A child may:

• Have small amounts of urine (pee)
• Have to urinate often or dribble urine
• Not be able to feel that the bladder is full
• Strain while urinating or not be able to urinate
• Have an overflow of urine from a full bladder
• Have pain when urinating
• Have a kidney problem due to urine backing up

Diagnosis

The doctor will ask about symptoms and health history. A physical exam will also be done. The doctor may ask caregivers to keep a diary of how often the child empties their bladder and other urinary habits.

Urine and blood tests may be done to help find a cause. Bladder function tests can also show how urine flow is affected.

Imaging tests may also be done to look at the bladder and urinary tract. These may include:

• X-rays
• Ultrasound
• CT scan
• MRI scan

Treatment

The goals of treatment are to help the bladder work better and stop infections. This could be done with:

Medicine

Antibiotics may be given to stop urinary tract infections.

Other medicine may also be used to help the bladder work better.

Catheters

A thin tube, called a catheter, can be put in to drain the bladder. The care team can teach caregivers how to do this at home.

Surgery

Surgery may be an option if other treatments do not work. The type of surgery will depend on what is causing the problems. Doctors may:

Prevention

Neurogenic bladder often cannot be prevented.