Urinary Obstruction Treated at Mercy Medical Center

A urinary obstruction is a blockage that occurs in the urinary system.  The urinary system is designed to eliminate bodily waste. This system includes the kidneys, a tube that connects the kidneys to the bladder (ureter), and a tube that drains urine from the bladder (urethra) and out of the body.  

If this system is blocked, urine backs up into the system because it can’t escape the body. It can cause urinary tract infection, bladder infection and kidney infection. In its worst case scenario, a urinary obstruction can cause kidney failure.

In its early onset, urinary obstruction may have few or no symptoms.  Symptoms of dehydration, hypertension and signs of congestive heart failure may result. As the effects of the blockage advance and become more acute, patients report significant pain and slowed urine flow.

Diagnostic screenings may include:

• Urinalysis
• Rectal an pelvic exam
• Imaging scans (CT, MRI, Intravenous pyelography, invasive pyelography, ultrasound)

With urinary obstruction, the blockage must be identified and removed so that any damage to the urinary system is repaired.  Achieving this goal may require multiple treatment options depending on where the obstruction is and the amount of damage it has created. Treatment options may include:

• Antibiotics
• Urine removal  (through use of a catheter, ureteral stent or draining the kidney directly with a tube through the back)
• Laparoscopic (minimally invasive) surgery
• Surgery