A porcine bladder model of pre-clinical urodynamics demonstrates increased afferent nerve activity during filling

Introduction and ObjectivesUrodynamics are the accepted gold standard for the evaluation of multiple forms of voiding dysfunction. However, the tests are expensive, invasive, poorly reproducible, and often prone to artifacts. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop next-generation urodynamics. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel ex vivo porcine bladder urodynamics model with afferent pelvic nerve signaling that can be used as a preclinical surrogate for bladder sensation. MethodsPorcine bladders including the ureters and vascular supply were harvested from local abattoirs using an established protocol in both male and female animals. Ex vivo bladder perfusion was performed using physiologic MOPS (3-(N-morpholino) propanesulfonic acid) buffer solution. The pelvic nerve adjacent to the bladder was grasped with micro-hook electrodes and electroneurogram (ENG) signals recorded at 20 kHz. Bladders were filled with saline at a nonphysiologic rate (100 mL/min) to a volume of 1 L using standard urodynamics equipment to simultaneously record intravesical pressure. ENG amplitude was calculated as the area under the curve for each minute, and ENG firing rate was calculated as number of spikes (above baseline threshold) per minute. At the conclusion of the experiment, representative nerve samples were removed and processed for nerve histology by a pathologist (hematoxylin and eosin and S100 stains). ResultsA total of 10 pig bladders were used, and nerve histology confirmed the presence of nerve in all adequately processed samples. Vesical pressure, ENG firing rate, and ENG amplitude all increased as a function of filling. During filling tertiles (low fill: min 1-3, med fill: min 4-6, and high fill: min 7-10), normalized pressures were 0.22 +/- 0.04, 0.38 +/- 0.05, and 0.72 +/- 0.07 (cmH2O). Similarly, normalized ENG firing rates were 0.08 +/- 0.03, 0.31 +/- 0.06, and 0.43 +/- 0.04 spikes/minute, respectively, and normalized nerve amplitudes were 0.11 +/- 0.06, 0.39 +/- 0.06, and 0.56 +/- 0.14) mu V, respectively. Strong relationships between average normalized pressure values and averaged normalized ENG firing rate (r(2) = 0.66) and average normalized ENG amplitude (r(2) = 0.8) were identified. ConclusionsThe ex vivo perfused porcine bladder can be used as a preclinical model for the development of next-generation urodynamics technologies. Importantly, the model includes a reproducible method to measure afferent nerve activity that directly correlates with intravesical pressure during filling and could potentially be used as a surrogate measure of bladder sensation.