Figure 1.

Relationship between voiding frequency before sacrifice and bladder mass at the time of sacrifice. Despite the consistency of the surgical technique to produce outlet obstruction, a variable degree of bladder hypertrophy and bladder dysfunction is observed 2 weeks after the outlet obstruction. Some rabbits reveal severe bladder dysfunction, voiding up to 60 times, whereas other obstructed rabbits void only around 10 times in 24 hours. Control rabbits (sham and normal) void 4 to 6 times/24 hours (data not shown). For this study, obstructed rabbits which void <28 times/24 hours were grouped as compensated, and those with voiding frequency of >28 were classified as decompensated. Although all obstructed rabbits showed bladder wall hypertrophy, the hypertrophy was severe (up to sevenfold) for some decompensated bladders.