Urodynamics
What is Urodynamics?
Urodynamics refers to one or more of a series of tests which are designed to diagnose the cause of your bladder symptoms. To perform this test a small catheter is passed through your urethra and into the bladder and another into the rectum. The bladder is filled with fluid and you will be asked to try to urinate. On the basis of this test, it is possible to determine whether there is a blockage or a weak bladder. If urodynamic study shows a blockage, treatment should be directed by the underlying etiology. The usual causes include a stricture or scar or residual prostatic tissue causing obstruction. If a scar is the problem, the only treatment is surgery to cut the scar, but if there is a blockage by the prostate, it is possible that medications will be effective.
If the problem is a weak bladder or a bladder that does not contract at all, self Intermittent catheterization (SIC) is the treatment of choice. SIC is done in the following way. Each time you feel the urge to urinate, you try to do so. Whether or not you are successful, you pass a small catheter (a hollow tube) through the urethra into the bladder and empty the remaining urine. For most men, after a period of time, the residual urine will become less and less as the bladder regains its strength, and eventually, the SIC can be discontinued. For some men though, this might be a permanent way to manage the problem.
When urinary retention is not the cause of the urinary incontinence, and it usually is not, for the ensuing weeks to months after surgery, management is very difficult and frustrating for both physician and patient alike. Since the majority of men recover fully, the goals of therapy are to “manage” the incontinence until the symptoms subside. Once more significant conditions, such as bladder cancer and urethral blockage have been excluded, you may be treated empirically (by trial and error) based on the presumed underlying etiology.
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Why Choose a Uro Center Urologist in New York?
The urologists at the Uro Center in New York are experts in their field, bringing academic and research based innovation to the clinical forefront. Our urology team specializes in areas of treatment such as: robotic surgery, reconstructive urology, men’s health & infertility, kidney stones, urologic oncology, penile implant surgery, urethral stricture, BPH, Urinary incontinence treatment, Mesh complications, Enlarged prostate treatment, Urodynamics, vesicovaginal fistula and female incontinence in New York.
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