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• Patient Education
  • Conditions
    • Kidney and Ureteral Stones
    • Urinary Tract Infections
    • Urinary Incontinence
    • Neurogenic Bladder
    • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
    • Hematuria
    • Erectile Dysfunction
    • Prostatitis
    • Vasectomy
    • Vasectomy Reversal
    • Interstitial Cystitis
    • Voiding Dysfunction
    • Female Urology
    • Prostate Cancer
    • Kidney Cancer
    • Testicular Cancer
    • Bladder Cancer
    • Low Testosterone
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Voiding Dysfunction

It is estimated that as many as 25 million Americans suffer from bladder control problems. Voiding dysfunction is a condition in which the bladder does not function properly. There are several different types of voiding dysfunction.

Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is defined as the inability to control urine flow. The condition can occur in four forms, stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed urinary incontinence or overflow incontinence.

• Stress Incontinence: Urine leakage is caused by an increase in abdominal pressure, such as sneezing, coughing or laughing.
• Urge Incontinence: An urge to urinate that occurs suddenly. Patients may be unable to make it to the toilet before leakage occurs.
• Mixed Urinary Incontinence: Urinary problems may be a combination of stress and urge incontinence.
• Overflow Incontinence: The bladder is unable to empty properly causing the patient to leak and urinate frequently.

Click here to learn more about the different types of urinary incontinence.

Overactive Bladder

This condition is characterized by urinary frequency, urgency or urge incontinence. It can occur in both men and women, but women are affected with the condition more often. Typically, overactive bladder occurs later in life.

Non-Obstructive Urinary Retention

This condition is characterized by the inability to completely empty the bladder. Patients typically produce a weak or dribbling stream of urine.

Mechanical Obstructions

Specific condtions such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), cancer or urethral structures may interfere with the body's ability to pass urine completely.

Tests:

Tests which may be performed to diagnose voiding dysfunction include: a urinalysis, cystoscopy (looking into the bladder), urodynamics (the study of bladder function and urine flow), or a bladder scan (a non-invasive procedure which measures the amount of urine left in the bladder).

Treatments:

Non-surgical and Behavioral Techniques
Many non-surgical and behavioral techniques can be used to help treat voiding dysfunction. Medication, Kegel exercises, biofeedback, timed voiding and bladder training are a few options used by urologists.

Surgery
Several minimally invasive procedures as well as more extensive surgical procedures may be necessary to treat voiding dysfunction. Commonly performed procedures include collagen injections, pubovaginal slings, microwave treatments for enlarged prostates (BPH), bladder augmentation or insertion of artificial urinary sphincters.