3 Ways to Treat Urinary Tract Obstruction

1. Options for Acute Care

If you have a urinary tract blockage, the doctor must drain the urine from your bladder to prevent kidney damage and relieve any serious discomfort. This can be accomplished in several ways: a catheter (small tube) can be inserted through your urethra into your bladder to drain the urine, a stent (hollow tube) may be inserted in your ureter to keep it open, or in the case of serious blockages, a nephrostomy tube may inserted through your lower back in a procedure called a percutaneous nephrostomy. This procedure allows urine to be drained directly from your kidney.

2. Cystoscopy for Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Obstruction and Surgery

A cystoscope is a small, flexible tube with a built-in optical system. It is used to diagnose certain types of urinary-tract obstruction, particularly prostate enlargement and strictures of the urethra. The cystoscope is inserted into your body via your urethra, and the optical system allows your doctor to see inside. He can perform surgery to relieve the blockage by inserting and manipulating surgical equipment through the tube. This procedure will permit your doctor to remove certain types of urinary obstructions, such as kidney stones.

3. Long-Term Treatments for Urinary Tract Obstruction

Your treatment options will depend on the type of urinary obstruction. If surgery via cystoscopy is not practicable or effective in your case, other surgical techniques, such as laparoscopic surgery using robotic technology, may be used. This type of surgery is minimally invasive, allowing you to make a rapid recovery. If surgery is not advisable in your case, medication may be used to treat your urinary obstruction. Two medications that have proven effective in the treatment of lower-urinary-tract obstructions are tolterodine ER (Detrol LA/Detrusitol SR) and tamsulosin (Flomax), both of which are also used to treat overactive bladders.