Bacterial adherence to urothelium following bladder irrigation in the rat.

We investigated the effects of bladder irrigation with various irrigation fluids at various temperatures and irrigation pressures on the adherence of 3H-labeled Escherichia coli O6 to bladder urothelium in a rat model. Sixty-four control and 108 experimental animals were studied. The latter were divided into five groups according to type of irrigation fluid (glycine 1.5%, sorbitol 2.7%, mannitol 0.54%, and H2O), fluid temperature, and intravesical pressure during irrigation. Only rats undergoing high pressure (60 cm H2O) bladder irrigation demonstrated significant increases in bacterial adherence compared to controls. No differences were found with the different irrigation fluids. This study suggests that high intravesical pressure during transurethral surgery might enhance bacterial adherence to urothelium and thereby increase the risk of manifest infection in the postoperative course.