URODYNAMIC STUDIES IN THE FETAL LAMB: EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

 

Authors:

R de Tayrac1,MD, PM Cuckow2,MD, GA Bogaert3,MD, JA Deprest3,MD, Y Ville4
   

Institution:

Antoine Beclere Hospital, Clamart, France 2 Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, UK3 Universitair Zienhuis "Gasthuisberg, "Leuven, Belgium 4 Poissy Hospital, Poissy, France
     

Conference:

ICS 2000 Tampere
       

Type:

Informally discussed posters
         

Category:

Urodynamics
                 

 

Aim of Study:

To produce a fetal lamb model in which an implanted bladder catheter would allow to study urodynamic patterns during gestation.

 

Methods:
Fourteen fetal lambs underwent placement of a bladder catheter at mean gestation of 87 days. Three fetuses also had a partial urethral obstruction by simultaneous placement of an anterior urethral ring. Urodynamic studies were performed weekly using a natural filling cystometry method under ultrasound guidance.

 

Results:

106 voiding cycles were recorded during 25 urodynamic studies between 84 and 133 days gestation. All voiding profiles were biphasic with mean duration of 4.2 minutes; mean voiding pressure of 23 cm of water and mean periodicity 19.2 minutes. The obstructed animals had bladder overactivity. This correlated with ultrasound and post-mortem findings of megacystis and bilateral hydroureteronephrosis.

 

Conclusions:

This method allowed serial urodynamic studies to be performed in the fetal lamb from 84 days gestation. Initial effect of partial urethral obstruction was to produce bladder overactivity.

 

References:

1. Cendron M, Horton Ce, Karim Om, et al. A fetal lamb model of partial urethral obstruction: experimental protocol and results. Journal of Pediatric Surgery 1994;29(1):77-80.

2. Mostwin Jl, Karim Om, Van Koeveringe G, Seki N. Guinea pig as an animal model for the study of urinary bladder function in the normal and obstructed state. Neurourology & Urodynamics 1994;13(2):137-45.

3. OConnor LT, Vaughan ED, Felsen D. In vivo cystometric evaluation of progressive bladder outlet obstruction in rats. J Urol 1997;158(2):631-5.