Photograph of bladder biopsy (H-3411/98): A 53-year old male sustained C-5 tetraplegia in a car accident 23 years ago. He has chronic indwelling urethral catheter. Histology shows bladder mucosa covered by predominantly metaplastic epithelium. Only a small amount of normal urothelium is present. The metaplastic epithelium consists of pseudo-stratified columnar cells, with occasional interspersed goblet cells but without cilia. This probably represents a stage in the development of intestinal metaplasia. The stroma contains acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrate.The method of bladder drainage in spinal cord injury patients may influence the histological changes in the mucosa of neuropathic bladder - a hypothesis. Vaidyanathan S, Mansour P, Soni BM, Singh G, Sett P - BMC urology (2002). Not Altered. CC.