Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31720822›Full record

ArticleJournal of neurology2020

Early presentation of urinary retention in multiple system atrophy: can the disease begin in the sacral spinal cord?

Jalesh N Panicker, Sara Simeoni, Yasuo Miki, Amit Batla, Valeria Iodice, Janice L Holton, Ryuji Sakakibara, Thomas T Warner

Open access · hybridAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of neurology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 42 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Multiple System Atrophy Combined Outcome Assessment (MuSyCA): process, format, and validation plan.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Multiple system atrophy related neurogenic bladder: mechanism and treatment.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of External Anal Sphincter EMG Patterns in Multiple System Atrophy.Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society · 2022
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Lower urinary tract dysfunction in Parkinsonian syndromes.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2021
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Jalesh N PanickerDepartment of Uro-Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
Sara SimeoniDepartment of Uro-Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, UK. simeoni_sara85@yahoo.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1513-8136
Yasuo MikiReta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Queen Square Brain Bank, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
Amit BatlaUCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
Valeria IodiceUCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, WC1N 3BG, UK.
Janice L HoltonReta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Queen Square Brain Bank, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
Ryuji SakakibaraNeurology, Internal Medicine, Sakura Medical Center, Toho University, Sakura, Japan.
Thomas T WarnerReta Lila Weston Institute of Neurological Studies and Queen Square Brain Bank, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery · GBHirosaki University · JPLuton and Dunstable Hospital · GBToho University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction presents early in multiple system atrophy (MSA), usually initially as urinary urgency, frequency and incontinence, and voiding difficulties/urinary retention becomes apparent over time. We have observed a subset of patients who instead presented initially with urinary retention requiring catheterisation. At presentation, these patients had only subtle neurological signs that would not fulfil the diagnostic criteria of MSA; however, the anal sphincter electromyography (EMG) was abnormal and they reported bowel and sexual dysfunction, suggesting localisation at the level of the sacral spinal cord. They subsequently developed classical neurological signs, meeting the diagnostic criteria for probable MSA. One patient was confirmed to have MSA at autopsy. We postulate that in a subset of patients with MSA, the disease begins in the sacral spinal cord and then spreads to other regions resulting in the classical signs of MSA. The transmissibility of alpha-synuclein has been demonstrated in animal models and the spread of pathology from sacral cord to other regions of the central nervous system is therefore plausible. Patients presenting with urinary retention and mild neurological features would be an ideal group for experimental trials evaluating neuroprotection in MSA.

Indexed as

AdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMultiple System AtrophySpinal CordUrinary RetentionEMGMSAMultiple system atrophySacral cordUrinary retention

Identifiers

PMID31720822
PMCPMC7035234
OpenAlexW2986897727

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.