The urodynamic effects of an experimental, partial infravesical outlet obstruction in rats were studied and compared with the effects in sham-operated controls, and in animals that had undergone 24 h of total outlet obstruction. The animals were studied up to 42 days after surgery. Bladder weight increased with time in the partially obstructed group to reach a final value of 6 times that of the control. In water loading experiments micturition volume was unaffected by sham operation. In the partially obstructed bladders it decreased initially but normalized with time. In the group that had undergone 24 h of total obstruction micturition volume also decreased initially but then became significantly higher than in the controls. In cystometry experiments the partially obstructed bladders developed a considerable residual urine and increased threshold and micturition pressures. Detrusor instability was present already after 10 days. Also in the cystometry experiments the bladders that had been totally obstructed for 24 h had increased micturition volumes. Residual volume was only slightly affected by atropine in the control and partially obstructed bladders but increased 7-fold in rats in which the bladder had been totally obstructed for 24 h 42 days previously. We conclude that there is a close relationship between bladder weight, residual volume and micturition pressure in the partially obstructed bladder, and that 24 h of total obstruction results in disturbances of bladder function that might be related to denervation phenomena previously reported by others.