AbstractThe effect of total sympathectomy (hypogastric nerve and sympathetic chain section) on the relationship between bladder compliance and filling rate has never been studied over the full range of physiological filling rates. In a series of chloralose‐anaesthetised cats, we examined the effect of total sympathectomy on bladder stiffness (the inverse of compliance) at filling rates from 1 to 50 hourly diuresis (HD) units. In control animals the slopes of regression lines fitted from 5 to 30 (n = 7) or 5 to 50 (n = 3) HD units were equal to or approached 0 (mean slope = .002 ± .0008 SE). After sympathectomy there was a statistically significant increase in stiffness at filling rates from 5 to 30 HD units (P<.005), and, although there was a trend for increased stiffness at higher filling rates, the increase in the slopes of the regression lines did not reach statistical significance (.05展开▼
