Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Case Report

Urinary retention associated with unilateral medullary infarction

Masaki Naganuma, M.D.1), Yuichiro Inatomi, M.D.1), Toshiro Yonehara, M.D.1), Yoichiro Hashimoto, M.D.2), Teruyuki Hirano, M.D.3) and Makoto Uchino, M.D.3)

1)Stroke Center, Saiseikai Kumamoto Hospital
2)Department of Neurology, Kumamoto City Hospital
3)Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University

A 59-year-old man without any history of urinary disturbance, admitted to our hospital because of dysarthria and left hemiparesis. Diffusion weighted MR image of the brain of the 2nd hospital day showed left lateral medullary infarction. He also suffered from urinary disturbance which revealed to be the atonic bladder after the urodynamic study. Although the autonomic disturbance, such as Horner syndrome, is a well-known symptom in patients with lateral medullary infarction, few reports mentioned about the prevalence and the extent of urinary disturbance. The obstructive urinary disturbance observed in the present patient was thought to be caused by the unilateral lateral medullary infarction.

(CLINICA NEUROL, 45: 431|436, 2005)
key words: urine disturbance, lateral medullary infarction, pontine micturtion center, pontine urine storage center, atonic bladder

(Received: 13-Sep-04)