Abstract
We report on the case of a frustrated 90-year-old gentleman who was seen in the Accident and Emergency department for the third time in four days with failure of his long-term urethral catheter. He reported that the catheter simply “fell out” with the balloon deflated. On each occasion previously, the catheter had been reinserted in A&E and the patient discharged home. These repeated visits to A&E were understandably a source of much frustration for the patient and his family. On the third presentation, plain abdominal radiography demonstrated a large spiculated bladder calculus.
Highlights
Bladder stones account for approximately 5% of urinary calculi and are usually associated with benign prostate enlargement, spinal cord injury, or long-term indwelling catheters [1]
We report on an unusual complication of a bladder stone which caused repeated catheter failure and recurrent urinary retention
A 90-year-old gentleman attended Accident and Emergency department three times in one week with acute retention; each time his long-term catheter had “fallen out.”. He had sustained a type 3 odontoid peg fracture five months prior to his attendance, managed conservatively but requiring a longterm indwelling catheter. He was initially referred to A&E by his rehabilitation centre after his indwelling catheter fell out and he went into retention
Summary
Bladder stones account for approximately 5% of urinary calculi and are usually associated with benign prostate enlargement, spinal cord injury, or long-term indwelling catheters [1]. We report on an unusual complication of a bladder stone which caused repeated catheter failure and recurrent urinary retention
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