Causes of urinary incontinence after acute hemispheric stroke.

Abstract

There are three major mechanisms responsible for poststroke urinary incontinence: 1) disruption of the neuromicturition pathways, resulting in bladder hyperreflexia and urgency incontinence; 2) incontinence due to stroke-related cognitive and language deficits, with normal bladder function; and 3) concurrent neuropathy or medication use, resulting in bladder hyporeflexia and overflow incontinence. Urodynamic studies are of benefit in establishing the cause of incontinence. Scheduled voiding is a useful first-line treatment in many cases of incontinence.