Contact Laser Transurethral External Sphincterotomy: A Preliminary Report

Issue title: Neurogenic Bladder

Guest editors: Todd LinsenmeyerGuest Editor and Mike GangloffActing Technical Editor

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Perkash, Inder^{a; b}

Affiliations: [a] Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA | [b] Spinal Cord Injury Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Palo Alto, CA

Abstract: We report here a new technique of external sphincterotomy in 30 spinal cord injury patients. Instead of electrocautery, the contact sapphire chisel probe firing Nd:YAG laser was used to ablate the external urethral sphincter. The major advantages of this procedure over electrocautery are (1) significantly decreased blood loss; (2) shorter, less morbid postoperative course and shorter hospital stay; and (3) durable results. Long-term follow-up of these patients is currently underway.

Keywords: Neurogenic bladder, TUR surgery, spinal cord injury, laser surgery, bladder outlet obstruction

DOI: 10.3233/NRE-1994-4408

Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 249-254, 1994