Intermittent catheterization: long-term follow-up.

Intermittent catheterization for bladder retraining after spinal cord injury has been in common use in the United States for only the last 10 years. It was initiated at the Ohio State University Hospitals in 1972. In a retrospective evaluation of the effectiveness of intermittent catheterization in 100 spinal cord injured patients, 94 were found to have been discharged catheter-free, ie, without a catheter and off intermittent catheterization. After 3 to 4 years of follow-up, 63 patients were found to have remained catheter-free, 15 were no longer catheter-free and 16 had been lost to follow-up. From an analysis of the data from the study (reasons for failure, complications, etc) and comparison with those from other studies, it is suggested that a prospective study be devised to evaluate intermittent catheterization more effectively.