Five of fourteen patients admitted with fractures of the thoracic and
lumbar vertebrae who had normal rectal tone and sacral sensation were
subsequently found to have genito-urinary dysfunction. Four patients had a
hypotonic bladder documented by cystometrograms. The other patient was
impotent from the time of fracture. Since the genito-urinary dysfunction
was not detectable by physical examination, thorough urological evaluations
are recommended for all patients with fractures of the lower thoracic and
upper lumbar vertebrae, even when rectal tone and sacral sensation are
normal.