Urinary retention and postrenal kidney injury

Abstract

In men aged 40-83years, the overall incidence of urinary retention is 4.5-6.8 cases per 1000men per year. The incidence increases significantly with age, so that aman in his 70s has a10% chance and aman in his 80s has amore than 30% chance of experiencing an episode of acute urinary retention [1]. The goal of diagnosis is to quickly reach afinding through clinical examination and ultrasound to be able to relieve the bladder. The first maneuver is catheterization, followed by, if necessary, initiation of pharmacological therapy that targets the underlying cause. Despite the high association of urinary retention with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), acomprehensive history and diagnosis are crucial to identify possible rare and complex causes and to enable targeted treatment. The challenge lies in finding the balance between rapid symptomatic treatment and thorough investigation of atypical and rare pathologies to develop individually adapted and effective therapy strategies.