Urinary Retention

Abstract 

Urinary retention can be acute, chronic or acute-on-chronic. The most common presentation is a patient in acute urinary retention (AUR) complaining of pain associated with the desire, but the inability to void. In AUR, the volume drained is usually less than 1 litre. If the volume drained is 1 litre or more, this can be used as a distinction between acute and acute-on-chronic retention, particularly if associated with less pain (a finding that is more typical of chronic urinary retention (CUR)).

CUR occurs when patients retain a substantial amount of urine in the bladder after each void. However, a defined volume for CUR is more difficult. and the finding of persistent residual volumes of >300 ml (some authors suggest >500 ml) after voiding is often used as evidence of chronic retention, although some patients present with many litres in their bladders.

Generally, AUR is painful whilst CUR is not. Although it is usually stated that patients with AUR did not have previous lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), it is more likely that many of these patients had not complained of these symptoms before. That is, they may have either not recognized their significance or assumed them to be an inevitable consequence of ageing.

Keywords:  urology , urinary retention

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