What is a common urinary issue after spinal cord injury and its standard management?

• A. Neurogenic bladder with urinary retention or incontinence; intermittent catheterization and bladder training
• B. Renal stones without urinary symptoms
• C. Urinary incontinence due to overhydration; avoid catheterization
• D. Renal failure due to dehydration—requires dialysis

Answer: (A)

Spinal cord injury disrupts the neural control of the bladder, producing a neurogenic bladder in which storage and voiding are poorly coordinated. This can manifest as urinary retention with overflow or as leakage from detrusor overactivity. The standard approach focuses on protecting kidney function and achieving reliable, low-pressure storage plus complete emptying. Clean intermittent catheterization on a regular schedule combined with bladder training (timed voiding and strategies to improve continence) is the cornerstone of management, often with medications as needed to modulate bladder activity or outlet resistance. This aligns with the idea of a neurogenic bladder with retention or incontinence and its typical treatment.