Pharmacology and Physiology of the Lower Urinary Tract

The function of the lower urinary tract is simple - urine storage and voiding. However, despite this simplicity of function, the control of the lower urinary tract is a rather complex, multilevel process (urothelium, detrusor, peripheral nerves, spinal cord and higher cerebral centres) and the mechanisms involved remain poorly elucidated. This study is designed to gain a more in depth understanding of the lower urinary tract function. Using bladder biopsies, tissue staining for characteristic markers present on nerves and other cells will be performed. We hypothesize that certain markers are altered in disease and turn back towards the control level of healthy people or patients with successful medical treatment.