The ‘iced cystogram’—A new technique for distinguishing obstruction at the level of the external sphincter from obstruction at the bladder neck

A new technique of cystography is described which demonstrates radiologically the ability of the detrusor contraction to pull open the bladder neck in some patients with upper motor neuron bladders following spinal cord injury in whom this has not been shown by the normal methods of cystography. Resection of the bladder neck as a first-stage procedure can be avoided in patients with outflow obstruction in whom bladder neck opening has been observed on the ‘iced cystogram’, since division of the external urethral sphincter is usually all that is necessary in these cases.