Sympathetic contribution to bladder outlet obstructions: Quantitative analysis of tissue catecholamine content

The concentration of noradrenalin in bladder neck and prostate tissue was studied in normal subjects and in patients with bladder neck dysfunction and benign prostatic hypertrophy. The concentration in the bladder neck tissue was high in normal subjects (619.3 ng/g), moderate in patients with bladder neck dysfunction (360.7 ng/g), and low in patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (75.4 ng/g). The values were statistically different from each other. The sympathetic innervation of the bladder neck is suggested to be diminished in the patients with bladder outlet obstructions compared to normal subjects.