Symptoms include overactive bladder, urinary urgency, frequency, incontinence or difficulty passing urine.

Spastic neurogenic bladder is usually caused by damage to the spinal cord above the level of the 10th thoracic vertebrae (T10).

Mixed type B is characterized by a flaccid external sphincter and a spastic bladder causing problems with incontinence.

Kidney failure was previously a leading cause of mortality in patients with spinal cord injury but is now dramatically less common due to improvements in bladder management.

[citation needed] Damage to the brain or spinal cord is the most common cause of neurogenic bladder.

[5] The diagnosis of neurogenic bladder is made based on a complete history and physical examination and may require imaging and specialized studies.

[9] Trabeculated bladder on ultrasound indicates high risk of developing urinary tract abnormalities such as hydronephrosis and stones.

[8] Uroflowmetry is a less-invasive study that can measure urine flow rate and use it to estimate detrusor strength and sphincter resistance.

[11] These studies can be repeated at regular intervals, especially if symptoms worsen or to measure response to therapies.

The goals of treatment focus on preserving the structure and function of the upper urinary tract, and on improving the quality of life for patients with neurogenic bladder.

[2] Oxybutynin is a common anti-cholinergic medication used to reduce bladder contractions by blocking M3 muscarinic receptors in the detrusor muscle.

Patients must also be monitored for newly-developed difficulty emptying the bladder, which may result from excessive effects of the drug.

[9] For urinary retention, cholinergics (muscarinic agonists) like bethanechol can improve the squeezing ability of the bladder.

Alpha blockers can also reduce outlet resistance and allow complete emptying if there is adequate bladder muscle function.

[2] For most patients, this can be accomplished with intermittent catherization which involves no surgery or permanently attached appliances.

Intermittent catheterization involves using straight catheters (which are usually disposable or single-use products) several times a day to empty the bladder.

[7] Catheters are preferred over externally-applied pressure (such as with hands) or straining of the abdomen, even when these methods succeed in completely emptying the bladder.

[11] There are various strategies to alter the interaction between the nerves and muscles of the bladder, including nonsurgical therapies (transurethral electrical bladder stimulation), minimally invasive procedures (sacral neuromodulation pacemaker), and operative (reconfiguration of sacral nerve root anatomy).

Dysfunction of the bladder is also frequently seen in patients with Spina Bifida, which affects 1 in 1000 births in the United States.