Reinnervation of the urinary bladder after microsurgical reconstruction of transsected caudal fibres. An experimental study in pigs.

Reinnervation of the urinary bladder after transsection of cauda equina fibres and their microsurgical reconstruction was studied. In five pigs a partial reconstruction with end-to-end suture of the transsected roots was performed inside the dura mater spinalis; four of these, which had a denervated bladder after the transsection, reestablished the micturition reflex 6 months after the reconstructive operation. The results demonstrate that the reestablished micturition reflex was due to a functional regeneration of transsected and sutured motor fibres. Although a regeneration was proved in sensory as well as in motor neurons by morphologic methods, it is doubtful whether the regenerated sensory fibres took part in the reestablishment of the micturition reflex after contact with the spinal cord.