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Urethral diverticulum can occur in men, and can cause complications including kidney stones and urinary tract infections.
The incidence of urethral diverticulum has been increasing in the 2000s, likely due to increasing diagnosis and detection of the condition. It is estimated to be present in as low as 0.02% of all women and as high as 6% of all women, and 40% of women with lower urinary tract symptoms. Most symptomatic urethral diverticula are present in women from 30–60 years old.
84% of periurethral masses are due to urethral diverticula.
Urethral strictures most commonly result from injury, urethral instrumentation, infection, non-infectious inflammatory conditions of the urethra, and after prior hypospadias surgery. Less common causes include congenital urethral strictures and those resulting from malignancy.
Urethral strictures after blunt trauma can generally be divided into two sub-types;
- Pelvic fracture-associated urethral disruption occurs in as many as 15% of severe pelvic fractures. These injuries are typically managed with suprapubic tube placement and delayed urethroplasty 3 months later. Early endoscopic realignment may be used in select cases instead of a suprapubic tube, but these patients should be monitored closely as vast majority of them will require urethroplasty.
- Blunt trauma to the perineum compresses the bulbar urethra against the pubic symphysis, causing a "crush" injury. These patients are typically treated with suprapubic tube and delayed urethroplasty.
Other specific causes of urethral stricture include:
- Instrumentation (e.g., after transurethral resection of prostate, transurethral resection of bladder tumor, or endoscopic kidney surgery)
- Infection (typically with Gonorrhea)
- Lichen sclerosus
- Surgery to address hypospadias can result in a delayed urethral stricture, even decades after the original surgery.
A meta-analysis on the influence of voiding position on urodynamics in healthy males and males with LUTS showed that in the sitting position, the residual urine in the bladder was significantly reduced. The other parameters, namely the maximum urinary flow and the voiding time were increased and decreased respectively. For healthy males, no influence was found on these parameters, meaning that they can urinate in either position.
Urethral dilation and other endoscopic approaches such as direct vision internal urethrotomy (DVIU), laser urethrotomy, and self intermittent dilation are the most commonly used treatments for urethral stricture. However, these approaches are associated with low success rates and may worsen the stricture, making future attempts to surgically repair the urethra more difficult.
A Cochrane review found that performing intermittent self-dilatation may confer a reduced risk of recurrent urethral stricture after endoscopic treatment, but the evidence is weak.
There are two types of prostatic stent: temporary and permanent.
Although a permanent prostatic stent is not a medical treatment, it falls under the classification of a surgical procedure. Placement of a permanent prostatic stent is carried out as an outpatient treatment under local, topical or spinal anesthesia and usually takes about 15–30 minutes.
A temporary prostatic stent can be inserted in a similar manner to a Foley catheter, requiring only topical anesthesia.
Urinary tract obstruction as a congenital disorder results in oligohydramnios which in turn can lead to the Potter sequence of atypical physical appearance. Pulmonary hypoplasia is by far the main cause of death in the early neonatal period for children with congenital lower urinary tract obstruction.
Fetal surgery of congenital lower urinary tract obstruction seems to improve survival, according to a randomized yet small study.
A prostatic stent is a stent used to keep open the male urethra and allow the passing of urine in cases of prostatic obstruction and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Prostatic obstruction is a common condition with a variety of causes. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common cause, but obstruction may also occur acutely after treatment for BPH such as transurethral needle ablation of the prostate (TUNA), transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), transurethral microwave thermotherapy (TUMT), prostate cancer or after radiation therapy.
In women, physical changes resulting from pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause often contribute to stress incontinence. Stress incontinence can worsen during the week before the menstrual period. At that time, lowered estrogen levels may lead to lower muscular pressure around the urethra, increasing chances of leakage. The incidence of stress incontinence increases following menopause, similarly because of lowered estrogen levels. In female high-level athletes, effort incontinence occurs in all sports involving abrupt repeated increases in intra-abdominal pressure that may exceed perineal floor resistance.
Occurring at a rate between 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 with a male-to-female ratio of 2.3-6:1, bladder exstrophy is relatively rare. For those individuals with bladder exstrophy who maintain their ability to reproduce, the risk of bladder exstrophy in their children is approximately 500-fold greater than the general population.
Globally, up to 35% of the population over the age of 60 years is estimated to be incontinent.
In 2014, urinary leakage affected between 30% and 40% of people over 65 years of age living in their own homes or apartments in the U.S. Twenty-four percent of older adults in the U.S. have moderate or severe urinary incontinence that should be treated medically.
Bladder control problems have been found to be associated with higher incidence of many other health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Difficulty with bladder control results in higher rates of depression and limited activity levels.
Incontinence is expensive both to individuals in the form of bladder control products and to the health care system and nursing home industry. Injury related to incontinence is a leading cause of admission to assisted living and nursing care facilities. More than 50% of nursing facility admissions are related to incontinence.
If both ejaculatory ducts are completely obstructed, affected men will demonstrate male infertility due to aspermia/azoospermia. They will suffer from a very low volume of semen which lacks the gel-like fluid of the seminal vesicles or from no semen at all while they are able to have the sensation of an orgasm during which they will have involuntary contractions of the pelvic musculature. This is contrary to some other forms of anejaculation.
Ejaculatory duct obstruction is the underlying cause for 1–5% of male infertility.
In addition, it is reported to be a cause for pelvic pain, especially shortly after ejaculation. In case of proven fertility but unresolved pelvic pain, even one or both partially obstructed ejaculatory ducts may be the origin of pelvic pain and oligospermia.
Ejaculatory duct obstruction may result in a complete lack of semen (aspermia) or a very low-volume semen (oligospermia) which may contain only the secretion of accessory prostate glands downstream to the orifice of the ejaculatory ducts.
In addition to the congenital form which is often caused by cysts of the müllerian duct the obstruction can be acquired due to an inflammation caused by chlamydia, prostatitis, tuberculosis of the prostate and other pathogens. In Addition, calculus was reported to mechanically block the ejaculatory duct, leading to infertility. However, in many patients, there is no history of an inflammation and the underlying cause simply remains unknown.
In addition to weight loss and exercise there are some behavioral changes that can improve stress incontinence. First decrease the amount of liquid that you are ingesting, and avoid drinking caffeinated beverages because they irritate the bladder. Spicy foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol and citrus also irritate the bladder and should be avoided. Quitting smoking can also improve stress incontinence because smoking irritates the bladder and can make you cough (putting stress on the bladder).
Urethroceles can often result as a result of damage to the supporting structures of the pelvic floor. Urethroceles can form after treatment for gynegological cancers.
Urethroceles are often caused by childbirth, the movement of the baby through the vagina causing damage to the surrounding tissues. When they occur in women who have never had children, they may be the result of a congenital weakness in the tissues of the pelvic floor.
Duplicated ureter is the most common renal abnormality, occurring in approximately 1% of the population.
Race: Duplicated ureter is more common in Caucasians than in African-Americans.
Sex: Duplicated ureter is more common in females. However, this may be due to the higher frequency of urinary tract infections in females, leading to a higher rate of diagnosis of duplicated ureter.
The female homolog to the male verumontanum from which the valves originate is the hymen.
The most important criterion for improving long-term prognosis is success of the initial closure. If a patient requires more than one closure their chance of continence drops off precipitously with each additional closure - at just two closures the chance of voiding continence is just 17%.
Even with successful surgery, people may have long-term complications. Some of the most common include:
- Vesicoureteral reflux
- Bladder spasm
- Bladder calculus
- Urinary tract infections
A urethrocele ( ) is the prolapse of the female urethra into the vagina. Weakening of the tissues that hold the urethra in place may cause it to protrude into the vagina. Urethroceles often occur with cystoceles, (involving the urinary bladder as well as the urethra). In this case, the term used is cystourethrocele.
Ectopic ureter (or ureteral ectopia) is a medical condition where the ureter, rather than terminating at the urinary bladder, terminates at a different site. In males this site is usually the urethra, in females this is usually the urethra or vagina. It can be associated with renal dysplasia, frequent urinary tract infections, and urinary incontinence (usually continuous drip incontinence). Ectopic ureters are found in 1 of every 2000–4000 patients, and can be difficult to diagnose, but are most often seen on CT scans.
Ectopic ureter is commonly a result of a duplicated renal collecting system, a duplex kidney with 2 ureters. In this case, usually one ureter drains correctly to the bladder, with the duplicated ureter presenting as ectopic.
Mechanistically, the causes of pelvic floor dysfunction are two-fold: widening of the pelvic floor hiatus and descent of pelvic floor below the pubococcygeal line, with specific organ prolapse graded relative to the hiatus. Associations include obesity, menopause, pregnancy and childbirth. Some women may be more likely to developing pelvic floor dysfunction because of an inherited deficiency in their collagen type. Some women may have congenitally weak connective tissue and fascia and are therefore at risk of stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.
By definition, "postpartum" pelvic floor dysfunction only affects women who have given birth, though pregnancy rather than birth or birth method is thought to be the cause. A study of 184 first-time mothers who delivered by Caesarean section and 100 who delivered vaginally found that there was no significant difference in the prevalence of symptoms 10 months following delivery, suggesting that pregnancy is the cause of incontinence for many women irrespective of their mode of delivery. The study also suggested that the changes which occur to the properties of collagen and other connective tissues during pregnancy may affect pelvic floor function.
Pelvic floor dysfunction can result after treatment for gynegological cancers.
Post-void dribbling or post-micturition dribbling is the where urine remaining in the urethra after voiding the bladder slowly leaks out after urination. A common and usually benign complaint, it may be a symptom of urethral diverticulum, prostatitis and other medical problems.
Men who experience dribbling, especially after prostate cancer surgery, will choose to wear incontinence pads to stay dry. Also known as guards for men, these incontinence pads conform to the male body. Some of the most popular male guards are from Tena, Depends, and Prevail. Simple ways to prevent dribbling include: strengthening pelvic muscles with Kegel exercises, changing position while urinating, or pressing on the perineum to evacuate the remaining urine from the urethra. Sitting down while urinating is also shown to alleviate complaints: a meta-analysis on the effects of voiding position in elderly males with benign prostate hyperplasia found an improvement of urologic parameters in this position, while in healthy males no such influence was found.
Ejaculatory duct obstruction (EDO) is a congenital or acquired pathological condition which is characterized by the obstruction of one or both ejaculatory ducts. Thus, the efflux of (most constituents of) semen is not possible.
It is a cause of male infertility and / or pelvic pain. Ejaculatory duct obstruction must not be confused with an obstruction of the vas deferens.
Extravasation of urine due to blunt renal trauma or ureteral obstruction can lead to the formation of an urinoma.
A pelvic fracture can cause the urethra to separate, leading to a variable length of scar that can severely hamper the ability to urinate normally. The urethra is a tubular conduit that transports urine out of the bladder. The bulbar urethra is a segment of the male urethra that is in between the penile urethra and the membrano-prostatic urethra that typically has a robust blood supply. This blood supply includes antegrade flow from the paired bulbar arteries and circumflex arteries, and retrograde flow from the paired dorsal arteries of the penis.
The treatment for PFUDDs is scar excision and primary anastomosis, which means reconnecting the two ends of the urethra that were severed during the pelvic injury. Most patients do well with this but occasionally, stricture of the repair recurs and the patients may require redo surgery.
Surgery involves making an incision between the anus and scrotum (perineal incision) and dissecting out the bulbar urethra and locating the scar and membranoprostatic urethra. Dissecting the bulbar urethra destroys the antegrade blood flow. However, this urethra still does well since in still gets retrograde blood flow from the dorsal arteries. When patients have erectile dysfunction, the dorsal arteries do not work well and therefore the bulbar urethra does not get a good blood supply.