Incontinence and Urinary Retention Flashcards
What is the lower urinary tract?
Bladder and urethra which are responsible for storing urine and emptying
What is the structure of the urinary bladder?
3 layers
Innermost layer: transitional epithelia
Middle layer: Detrusor smooth muscle
Outermost layer: Adventitia connective tissue
What is voiding?
Urination
What is the neurological control of urination?
Pontine micrutition centre in the brainstem however there is central control. Involves co-ordination between smooth muscle of detrusor and urethra relaxation to leave no urine in the bladder
Effect of sympathetic system on the bladder?
Increases the bladder capacity of the detrusor muscle to enlarge without increasing pressure.
Effect of parasympathetic system on bladder?
Detrusor muscle contraction and causes the internal sphincter to relax.
How are male urethras affected by pathology?
Enlarged prostate increases urinary retention
What is the capacity of the bladder?
500ml
What are the sex differences in urination?
Women have a lower void of 30-40cm of H2O with a higher max flow rate than men.
What is cystometry?
Measure of detrusor muscle function via pressure-volume relationship. Assesses the pressure of the destrusor muscle in both controlled bladder filling and voiding compared to the synchronous flow-rate.
What is the role of cystometry?
Assess detrusor function for bladder compliance, sensation and stability and capacity.
What is bladder sensation?
Sensation transmitted via pressure and stretch receptors in the detrusor muscle walls that induces void desire.
What is bladder stability?
Contractions of the detrusor muscle.
What affects the bladder pressure?
Rectal pressure- high pressure may reduce bladder capacity or the bladder stability and result in urinary urgency. Rectal pressure must be substracted from detrusor muscle pressure to find the detrusor effect.
How is bladder pressure determined?
The abdominal pressure + the detrusor muscle pressure
LUTS
Lower Urinary tract symptom which affects primarily men over 65 years old
How is LUTS categorised?
Categorised into:
Storage
Voiding issues
Post-micrutition issues
What are the storage issues?
Includes:
Urgency
Frequency
Nocturia
What are the voiding issues?
Hesitancy: difficulty starting urination
Weak stream
Straining: required to empty bladder
Pain/discomfort
Incomplete emptying
Terminal dribbling
Why do voiding issues occur?
Commonly caused by increased outflow resistance at the bladder neck or urethra. There may be detrusor muscle failure.
What are the post-micrutition issues?
Dribbling
BPH
Benign prostactic hyperplasia- enlargement of the prostate due to increased number of cells