title: Acute urinary retention. Comparison of suprapubic and urethral catheterisation.
abstract: A total of 86 consecutive patients who presented to the accident and emergency department with acute urinary retention due to prostatomegaly required catheterisation; 56 received suprapubic catheters and 30 were catheterised urethrally. Both groups were followed up for 3 years. Of the 30 patients catheterised urethrally, 12 (40%) developed urinary tract infections compared with 10 (18%) urinary tract infections in the 56 patients catheterised suprapubically. Five patients (17%) in the urethral group developed urethral strictures with no strictures in the suprapubic group. Two patients catheterised urethrally developed epididymo-orchitis and 1 developed septicaemia. None of the patients with suprapubic catheters developed these complications. Furthermore, 16 patients catheterised suprapubically underwent successful trial clamping of their catheter, whereas 7 patients required recatheterisation following removal of their urethral catheters. We recommend that the use of suprapubic catheters should become the preferred initial treatment for acute urinary retention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University College and Regional Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Horgan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prasad
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Waldron
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011469:Prostatic Diseases / Q000150:complications; D014521:Urethra; D001743:Urinary Bladder; D014546:Urinary Catheterization / Q000379:methods*; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*