Urodynamic changes in urethrovesical function after radical hysterectomy.

Twelve patients undergoing radical hysterectomy were comprehensively evaluated urodynamically pre- and postoperatively using sensitive instrumentation, including microtip transducers. Five patients developed genuine stress incontinence, four developed loss of bladder compliance, three developed motor deficits consisting of either inability to relax the urethra or inability to initiate or maintain a vesical contraction, two developed impaired urinary flow, three had persistent excessive residual urine volumes, and two developed bladder sensory loss. These changes persisted beyond the one-year follow-up period. The degree of urethrovesical dysfunction bore no significant relationship to the radicality of the hysterectomy.