Background: A 49-year old man initially underwent clam ileocystoplasty 14 years ago. A revision of this original procedure was required 11 years ago for intractable detrusor overactivity secondary to transverse myelitis; he experienced only temporary symptomatic improvement that lasted 6 months after each procedure. Despite the use of oral anticholinergic drugs, the patient subsequently needed to perform clean intermittent self-catheterization approximately 10 times every 24 h, and when he presented to our department, he still suffered from occasional episodes of urgency incontinence that required the regular use of a penile sheath.
Investigations: Symptom severity was assessed using a 4-day bladder diary.
Diagnosis: Cystometry confirmed the presence of terminal detrusor overactivity.
Management: After the patient provided his informed consent, he was treated as an outpatient with intradetrusor injections of botulinum toxin A, delivered under local anesthesia by a minimally invasive technique that used a flexible cystoscope. A significant improvement was noted in the patient's lower urinary tract symptoms, urodynamic parameters and quality of life, measured at 4 and 16 weeks after treatment. The patient was completely dry at both follow-up visits and was able to discontinue the use of anticholinergic drugs and the penile sheath for a total of 11 months.