Colonometry, cystometry, and evoked potentials in multiple sclerosis.

The conditions of three patients with advanced-stage multiple sclerosis and symptoms related to bowel and bladder function were evaluated using colonometry, cystometry, and somatosensory evoked responses from the posterior tibial nerve. The colonometrograms and cystometrograms showed notable hyperreflexia and reduced filling capacity when compared with neurologically intact patients. The neurological lesions were localized to above the conus medullaris by recording normal somatosensory responses at L-1 and abnormal responses over the scalp. This combination of tests are important in the documentation of bowel and bladder dysfunction, the localization of the neurological lesion causing the symptoms, and the determination of treatment of bowel and bladder symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis.