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Bladder outlet obstruction - Symptom

Alternative Names

BOO; Lower urinary tract obstruction; Prostatism

Symptoms:

The symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction may vary, but can include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Continuous feeling of a full bladder
  • Delayed onset of urination (urinary hesitancy)
  • Frequent urination
  • Inability to urinate (acute urinary retention)
  • Pain on urination (dysuria)
  • Slow urine flow
  • Urinary tract infection
  • Urine stream starts and stops (urinary intermittency)
  • Waking up at night to urinate (nocturia)

Signs and tests:

If bladder outlet obstruction is suspected, your health care provider will take a thorough history of your problems. During a physical exam, your provider may find one or more of the following possible causes:

  • Abdominal mass
  • Cystocele (women)
  • Distended bladder
  • Enlarged prostate (men)

Tests may include:

  • Blood chemistries to look for signs of kidney damage
  • Cystoscopy and retrograde urethrogram (x-ray) to look for narrowing of the urethra
  • Ultrasound to locate the blockage of urineand find out how well the bladder empties
  • Urinalysis to look for blood or signs of infection in the urine
  • Urine culture to check for an infection
  • Uroflowmetry to determine how fast urine flows out of the body
  • Urodynamic testing to see how much the urine flow is blocked and how well the bladder contracts
  • Reviewed last on: 6/17/2010
  • Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; Scott Miller, MD, Urologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Wein AJ, ed. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.

Tseng TY, Stoller ML. Obstructive uropathy. Clin Geriatr Med. 2009 Aug;25(3):437-43.

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