Centre for Male Reproductive, Reconstructive & Neuro-Urology
Bladder, Continence & Neuro-Urology
Specialist assessment of complex bladder dysfunction, urinary incontinence and neurological bladder conditions in Brisbane. Care is directed toward understanding how the bladder stores, empties and maintains continence while considering urinary-tract safety, independence and everyday life.
- Neurogenic bladder and complex bladder dysfunction
- Persistent bladder overactivity and high-pressure bladder
- Male urinary incontinence
- Artificial urinary sphincter surgery
- Catheterisation and bladder-emptying problems
- Bladder reconstruction and urinary diversion
Conditions & Treatments
What can we help with?
Similar urinary symptoms can arise from very different problems. Assessment aims to determine whether the main issue relates to bladder storage, bladder pressure, urinary emptying, the urinary sphincter, neurological dysfunction or a combination of these.
Neurogenic Bladder
Assessment of bladder storage, emptying, continence and urinary-tract safety in people with spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions affecting bladder function.
Explore neurogenic bladderPersistent Bladder Overactivity & High-Pressure Bladder
Assessment when urgency, frequency, urgency leakage or unfavourable bladder storage pressure remains difficult to manage despite initial treatment.
Explore bladder overactivityUrinary Incontinence
Assessment of urinary leakage including stress incontinence, urgency-related leakage, mixed incontinence, neurological incontinence and leakage following prostate or pelvic treatment.
Explore urinary incontinenceArtificial Urinary Sphincter
Information about artificial urinary sphincter surgery for appropriately selected patients with significant sphincter-related urinary incontinence, including complex cases following previous treatment.
Explore artificial urinary sphincter surgeryBladder Emptying & Catheter Problems
Difficulty emptying the bladder, urinary retention, intermittent catheterisation, long-term catheter problems and increasing difficulty with an established bladder-management routine may require reassessment.
Explore bladder emptying in neuro-urologyComplex Bladder Reconstruction
Selected patients with significant bladder dysfunction may require consideration of bladder augmentation, catheterisable reconstruction, continence reconstruction or urinary diversion.
Explore bladder reconstructionFinding the Right Pathway
Urgency leakage and stress leakage are not the same problem
Leakage associated with a sudden need to urinate may relate primarily to bladder storage or overactivity. Leakage with coughing, activity, standing or movement after prostate or pelvic treatment may instead reflect reduced outlet or sphincter function.
Some patients have both. Neurological conditions can add further complexity because bladder pressure and emptying may also need to be assessed.
Specialist Neuro-Urology
A broader approach to complex bladder problems
Neuro-urology is not simply about whether someone leaks urine. Bladder pressure, emptying, kidney health, continence, independence and practical daily management can all matter.
Urinary-tract safety
Identify bladder storage or emptying patterns that may require closer surveillance or treatment.
Continence
Understand whether leakage arises from the bladder, urinary sphincter or a combination of mechanisms.
Bladder emptying
Develop a practical strategy for spontaneous voiding, catheter-assisted emptying or other drainage where required.
Fewer complications
Recurrent infection, catheter blockage, stones, retention or changing leakage may indicate an underlying problem worth reassessing.
Daily life
Mobility, hand function, carers, work, travel and independence can influence which bladder-management strategy is sustainable.
Patient Pathway
Your bladder & neuro-urology journey
Understand the problem
Review symptoms, neurological conditions, previous surgery, continence, catheterisation and the current bladder routine.
Assess bladder function
Investigation may include urine testing, bladder scanning, imaging, cystoscopy or urodynamic assessment where appropriate.
Identify priorities
Goals may include safer bladder storage, improved continence, easier emptying, independence or fewer complications.
Discuss options
Management is matched to the underlying bladder pattern, practical circumstances and potential benefits and risks.
Long-term review
Selected neurological and reconstructive bladder conditions require ongoing reassessment as bladder function and circumstances change.
Continence Surgery
When the bladder and urinary sphincter need to be considered separately
Male urinary leakage can arise from different mechanisms. Stress urinary incontinence is often related to reduced outlet resistance, whereas urgency leakage generally reflects a bladder storage problem.
The distinction matters because a procedure designed to improve sphincter-related leakage does not treat every bladder-storage symptom. Mixed symptoms may therefore require assessment of both components.
Complex Bladder Reconstruction
When less-invasive bladder management is not enough
Major reconstruction is generally reserved for selected patients with significant bladder dysfunction when an acceptable combination of bladder storage, continence and practical emptying cannot be achieved with less-invasive management.
Reconstructive planning may involve the bladder, outlet and route of emptying. Long-term catheterisation requirements, mobility, hand function and lifelong follow-up form part of the decision.
Explore complex bladder reconstructionSpecialist Care
Why see Dr Jack Crozier?
Dr Jack Crozier is a Brisbane urologist whose practice includes neuro-urology, male urinary incontinence, reconstructive urology and complex lower urinary tract surgery.
His practice includes neurogenic bladder, persistent bladder storage problems, urinary incontinence, catheter-related difficulties and complex urinary reconstruction, including patients with spinal cord injury and previous pelvic or urological surgery.
Assessment considers bladder function, continence, urinary-tract safety and practical quality-of-life goals together rather than treating individual symptoms in isolation.
Interstate & International Patients
Travelling to Brisbane for complex bladder care
Patients with complex neuro-urological or reconstructive conditions may travel from elsewhere in Queensland, interstate or overseas for assessment.
Previous urodynamic reports, kidney and bladder imaging, operative records and a summary of the current bladder routine can be useful when planning assessment.
Common reasons for referral
- Neurogenic bladder
- Persistent high-pressure bladder
- Complex urinary incontinence
- Artificial urinary sphincter assessment
- Bladder augmentation
- Catheterisable reconstruction
- Urinary diversion
- Complex or revision urinary surgery
Frequently Asked Questions
Bladder & neuro-urology FAQs
What is neuro-urology?
Neuro-urology focuses on bladder and urinary sphincter dysfunction associated with neurological disease or injury. Problems can involve urine storage, bladder pressure, emptying, continence or several of these at the same time.
What is a neurogenic bladder?
Neurogenic bladder describes lower urinary tract dysfunction caused by altered neurological control. The bladder may become overactive, underactive, poorly coordinated or develop a mixed pattern.
Why does bladder pressure matter after spinal cord injury?
Some neurological bladder patterns can store urine at unfavourable pressure even when leakage is limited. This is why bladder function and urinary-tract surveillance may be important in selected higher-risk patients.
Is bladder overactivity the same as urinary incontinence?
No. Bladder overactivity can cause urgency, frequency and urgency-related leakage, whereas urinary incontinence can arise from several different mechanisms. Stress incontinence, for example, may primarily relate to reduced urinary sphincter function.
What if urgency or bladder pressure remains difficult to control?
Reassessment may consider the diagnosis, bladder emptying, neurological condition, previous treatment and, where relevant, urodynamic findings. Further prescribed, procedural or reconstructive options can then be discussed individually.
Will I need urodynamic testing?
Not everyone requires urodynamics. It can be useful when more information is needed about bladder pressure, capacity, contractions, emptying, sphincter function or the cause of urinary leakage.
Can I stop using a catheter?
Sometimes, but this depends on why the catheter is required, bladder function, bladder emptying, neurological status, urethral anatomy and whether another safe and practical drainage strategy is available.
What if intermittent catheterisation is becoming difficult?
Difficulty catheterising can relate to anatomy, urethral narrowing, false passage, positioning, mobility or hand function. The underlying reason should be assessed rather than repeatedly forcing a difficult catheter.
Is an artificial urinary sphincter only used after prostate surgery?
Post-prostate treatment stress urinary incontinence is an important indication, but an artificial urinary sphincter may also be considered for other appropriately selected patients with significant sphincter-related incontinence.
Can an artificial urinary sphincter require revision?
Yes. Implanted urinary devices can develop mechanical, positioning, infection, erosion or continence-related problems over time, and some patients may eventually require further surgery.
When is bladder reconstruction considered?
Reconstruction may be discussed in selected complex cases when less-invasive management cannot provide an acceptable combination of bladder storage, continence, urinary-tract safety and practical emptying.
Why does this page not list prescription treatments by name?
This page provides general information about bladder and neuro-urology services. Medicine-specific treatment information belongs in an individual clinician-patient discussion where suitability, alternatives, risks and informed consent can be addressed.
I have a spinal cord injury but I am not leaking. Do I still need bladder review?
Potentially. Continence alone does not establish whether bladder storage pressure and emptying are normal. The need for follow-up depends on the neurological condition, previous bladder findings and individual risk.
Specialist Assessment
Bladder problems are not all the same.
The first step is understanding whether the main problem involves storage, pressure, emptying, continence, neurological function or a combination of these factors.
This information is general educational information and is not a substitute for individual medical assessment, diagnosis or treatment. Appropriate investigations and management options vary according to individual clinical circumstances, potential benefits and risks, practical considerations and patient preferences.