Clinical characteristics of patients with neurogenic bladder due to myelomeningocele - Eighteen-year retrospective study; University Children's Hospital, Bialystok, Poland

IntroductionMyelomeningocele (MMC) is congenital nervous system malformation caused by neurulation process failure during pregnancy. The prevalence varies by the continent, region, race, ethnicity and the time when assessed and patients present abnormalities of different organs. One of the most severe complications is renal failure.AimClinical evaluation of patients with MMC in North-East Poland and answering the question whether our treatment methods lead to renal function preservation.Material and methodsMedical records of 112 patients in the period 1995-2013 were evaluated retrospectively.The data included: age, sex, BMI Z-score WHO, place of residence, perinatal history, social situation, physical activity, urodynamic diagnosis, renal function, hydrocephalus diagnosis, and functioning of shunting procedures.ResultsThey were no statistically significant differences in most studied parameters between boys and girls. We observed statistically significant differences among MMC patients divided into 4 groups according to the physical activity. They differed in birth weight and length, Apgar scale, hydrocephalus diagnosed and the need for ventriculoperitoneal shunt. We did not find differences in urodynamic diagnosis among 4 studied groups.Conclusions1.Data of MMC children from Poland are similar to the other countries.2.In our opinion, early diagnostic and treatment procedure especially with early catheterization of MMC children prevent renal failure development.3.Assessment of very early markers in renal function deterioration in neurogenic bladder patients from widespread multicenters' research is indicated.