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Autonomic Dysreflexia: Evaluation and Management

  • Neurogenic Bladder (C Powell, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a medical emergency characterized by an acute, imbalanced autonomic response to specific stimuli in patients with a spinal cord injury (SCI) above T5 to T6. AD requires an early recognition and prompt treatment to prevent any devastating complications or even death. Patients with SCI are frequently encountered in clinical practice, but a significant number of physicians are not knowledgeable about AD or the relatively basic set of guidelines recommended for its management. In this review, we discuss the pathophysiology as well as the diagnosis and management of AD.

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Conflict of Interest

Andrew C. Strine and Matthew J. Mellon declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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  1. Department of Urology, Indiana University School of Medicine, 535 North Barnhill Drive, Suite 420, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Andrew C. Strine & Matthew J. Mellon

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  1. Andrew C. Strine
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Correspondence to Matthew J. Mellon.

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Strine, A.C., Mellon, M.J. Autonomic Dysreflexia: Evaluation and Management. Curr Bladder Dysfunct Rep 8, 319–325 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11884-013-0203-x

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