Paraplegic dogs: urinary bladder evacuation with direct electric stimulation.

Stimulation of the detrusor muscle by means of two implanted wire electrodes increased intravesical pressure markedly in ten trials in normal dogs and in nine trials following transection of the dog's lumbar spinal cord. The urinary bladder could be completely emptied up to 2 or 3 weeks postoperatively. Later stimulation provoked an equally copious urinary flow but a residue persisted even when progressively higher voltage was applied.