Urinary Retention in Adults: Evaluation and Initial Management David C
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Urinary Retention in Adults: Evaluation and Initial Management David C. Serlin, MD; Joel J. Heidelbaugh, MD; and John T. Stoffel, MD University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan Urinary retention is the acute or chronic inability to voluntarily pass an adequate amount of urine. The condition predominantly affects men. The most common causes are obstructive in nature, with benign prostatic hyperplasia accounting for 53% of cases. Infectious, inflammatory, iatrogenic, and neurologic causes can also affect urinary retention. Initial evaluation should involve a detailed his- tory that includes information about current prescription medications and use of over-the-counter medications and herbal supplements. A focused physical examination with neurologic evaluation should be performed, and diagnostic testing should include measurement of postvoid residual (PVR) volume of urine. There is no consensus regarding a PVR-based definition for acute urinary retention; the American Urological Association recommends that chronic urinary retention be defined as PVR volume greater than 300 mL measured on two separate occasions and persisting for at least six months. Initial management of urinary retention involves assessment of urethral patency with prompt and complete bladder decompression by catheterization. Suprapubic catheters improve patient comfort and decrease bacteriuria and the need for recatheterization in the short term; silver alloy–coated and antibiotic-impregnated catheters offer clinically insignificant or no benefit. Further management is decided by determining the cause and chronicity of the urinary retention and can include initiation of alpha blockers with voiding trials. Patients with urinary retention related to an underlying neurologic cause should be monitored in conjunction with neurology and urology subspecialists. (Am Fam Physi- cian. 2018;98(8):496-503. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Family Physicians.) Urinary retention is the inability to voluntarily pass an Causes of Urinary Retention adequate amount of urine and can be attributable to acute The main causes of urinary retention are obstructive, infec- and chronic etiologies. Acute urinary retention is a urologic tious/inflammatory, iatrogenic, and neurologic in nature; emergency characterized by the sudden inability to urinate obstructive causes are the most common (Table 1).5 combined with suprapubic pain, bloating, urgency, distress, or, occasionally, mild incontinence.1 Chronic urinary reten- OBSTRUCTIVE tion is usually associated with non-neurogenic causes, is Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most common often asymptomatic, and lacks consensus on defining cri- obstructive cause of urinary retention, accounting for teria. The overall incidence of urinary retention is much approximately 53% of cases6; a previous American Family higher in men than women and increases dramatically as Physician (AFP) article provides a detailed review of benign men age. Estimates for men range from 4.5 to 6.8 per 1,000 prostatic hyperplasia.7 person-years, increasing up to 300 per 1,000 person-years Other obstructive causes in males include prostate cancer, for men in their 80s, whereas the incidence in women is only phimosis, and paraphimosis; obstructive causes in females seven per 100,000 per year.2-4 include pelvic organ prolapse of the bladder, rectum, or uterus. Both men and women can experience direct phys- ical obstruction attributable to stones, urethral strictures, CME This clinical content conforms to AAFP criteria for con- hematuria-related clot obstruction, and bladder cancer. tinuing medical education (CME). See CME Quiz on page 484. Uncommonly, foreign bodies, either intraluminal or those Author disclosure: Dr. Stoffel reports receiving grant fund- causing extrinsic compression, can cause urinary retention. ing from Ipsen and Cogentix in relation to treatment of neurogenic overactive bladder and stress incontinence; the Additionally, fecal impaction, benign or malignant tumors, other authors have no relevant financial affiliations. or other space-occupying pelvic masses can indirectly obstruct the urinary tract.5 Downloaded496 from the American Family Physician website at www.aafp.org/afp. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Family Physicians. For ◆the private, noncom- mercialAmerican use of one Family individual Physician user of the website. All other rightswww.aafp.org/afp reserved. Contact [email protected] for copyrightVolume questions 98, Number and/or permission 8 October requests. 15, 2018 SORT: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE Evidence Clinical recommendation rating References Initial evaluation of the patient with suspected urinary C 5 vulvovaginal candidiasis and Behçet retention should involve a detailed history, including syndrome are infectious and inflam- current use of prescription and over-the-counter medi- cations and herbal supplements. matory causes in women. In both sexes, urinary tract and other infec- A focused physical examination, including a neurologic C 5 tions, including herpes zoster affecting evaluation, should be performed in patients with sus- pected urinary retention, and diagnostic testing should the lumbosacral dermatome, can be 5 include measurement of postvoid residual urine volume. triggers for urinary retention. Suprapubic catheters improve patient comfort and A 29 IATROGENIC decrease bacteriuria and the need for recatheterization in patients requiring catheterization for up to 14 days. The two main causes of iatrogenic urinary retention include postopera- Silver alloy–coated and antibiotic-impregnated urethral A 31 tive side effects or are pharmacologic catheters are not recommended for use in patients with suspected urinary retention because neither produces in nature. An estimated 2% of acute significantly positive results. urinary retention cases admitted to a teaching hospital over a two-year In patients with urinary retention, initiation of alpha- A 35-37 blocker therapy at the time of catheter insertion or at period were attributed to medication least before removal is suggested because alpha block- side effects9; in another study, medica- ers improve the likelihood of a successful voiding trial. tions were determined to be the most A = consistent, good-quality patient-oriented evidence; B = inconsistent or limited-quality likely cause of 12% of cases of chronic 10 patient-oriented evidence; C = consensus, disease-oriented evidence, usual practice, expert urinary retention. The most common opinion, or case series. For information about the SORT evidence rating system, go to https:// medications that cause acute or chronic www.aafp.org/afpsort. urinary retention have anticholinergic side effects (Table 211) that block the parasympathetic muscarinic receptors INFECTIOUS AND INFLAMMATORY in the detrusor muscle, leading to impaired detrusor con- Various infections can lead to edema of the urethra or tractility. Alpha-adrenergic agonists, such as decongestants, bladder, resulting in acute urinary retention. Acute bacte- increase tone in the prostate and bladder neck, whereas cal- rial prostatitis, previously reviewed in an AFP article,8 and cium channel blockers reduce smooth muscle contractil- balanitis/posthitis5 are common infectious causes in men; ity in the bladder.12 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs TABLE 1 Selected Causes of Urinary Retention Cause Men Women Both Obstructive Benign prostatic hyper- Organ prolapse (cystocele, recto- Bladder calculi; bladder neoplasm; fecal plasia; meatal stenosis; cele, uterine prolapse); pelvic mass impaction; gastrointestinal or retroperitoneal paraphimosis; phimosis; (gynecologic malignancy, uterine malignancy/mass; urethral strictures, foreign prostate cancer fibroid, ovarian cyst); retroverted bodies, and stones impacted gravid uterus Infectious and Balanitis; prostatic Acute vulvovaginitis; Behçet Aneurysmal dilation; bilharziasis (schistosomiasis); inflammatory abscess; prostatitis; syndrome; vaginal lichen planus; cystitis; echinococcosis; edema; Guillain-Barré posthitis vaginal lichen sclerosus; vaginal syndrome; herpes simplex virus; Lyme disease; pemphigus periurethral abscess; transverse myelitis; tubercu- lar cystitis; urethritis; varicella-zoster virus Iatrogenic/ Fracture; laceration; Postpartum complication; urethral Disruption of posterior urethra and bladder neck other penile constricting sphincter dysfunction (Fowler in pelvic trauma; pharmacologic; postoperative bands; penile trauma syndrome) complication; psychogenic Note: For specific pharmacologic and neurologic causes of urinary retention, see Tables 2 and 3, respectively. Adapted with permission from Selius BA, Subedi R. Urinary retention in adults: diagnosis and initial management. Am Fam Physician. 2008; 77(5): 644. Downloaded from the American Family Physician website at www.aafp.org/afp. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Family Physicians. For the private, noncom- ◆ 497 mercial use of one individual user of the website. All other rights reserved. Contact [email protected] for copyright questions and/or permission requests. October 15, 2018 Volume 98, Number 8 www.aafp.org/afp American Family Physician TABLE 2 TABLE 3 Selected Pharmacologic Agents Associated Neurologic Causes of Urinary Retention with Urinary Retention and Voiding Dysfunction Class Drugs Lesion type Causes Antiarrhythmics Disopyramide (Norpace), procain- Autonomic or Autonomic neuropathy, diabetes mellitus, amide, quinidine peripheral nerve Guillain-Barré syndrome, herpes zoster virus, Lyme disease,