In ischuria – colloquially called urinary retention – (synonyms: Urinary retention; urinary obstruction; urinary retention; ischuria; retentio urinae; ICD-10-GM R33: urinary retention) is the inability to empty the bladder spontaneously. This can have many different causes.
One can distinguish acute from chronic urinary retention. Acute urinary retention is a medical emergency!
Ischuria (urinary retention) can be a symptom of many diseases (see under “Differential diagnoses”).
Gender ratio: Acute urinary retention affects men more often than women.
Course and prognosis: Acute urinary retention occurs within a very short time and is a sudden, very painful condition for the patient. There is a threat of the bladder rupturing. Typical causes are mechanical problems such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), urethral stone, foreign body or tumor. Chronic urinary retention can lead to kidney damage due to urine backing up into the renal pelvis. Usually, chronic urinary retention does not cause pain.
