This is a sign of bladder muscle failure and usually means surgery is required. Severe abdominal pain and the ability to pass only a few drops of urine indicate acute urinary retention and require immediate treatment.
To diagnose the prostate, an exam must take place. The enlargement of the prostate can be detected during a rectal examination (in which the physician inserts a gloved finger into the rectum). The physician also feels the abdomen for signs of bladder distention. A sample of urine may be tested for infection and a blood test performed to provide a measurement of the obstruction and any effects elsewhere in the urinary system, especially the kidneys.
The treatment depends on the enlargement of the prostate. Mild symptoms of the prostate do not require treatment, but if the symptoms are more sever, the usual treatment is Prostatectomy (removal of the prostate). Retention of urine is treated initially by urinary catheterization and then by Prostatectomy. If surgery is considered too dangerous because of age or ill health, a catheter is sometimes kept in place permanently to drain urine. There are two possible methods of removal; Trans urethral method, which is the most, commonly used because it avoids the disadvantages of an abdominal incision and usually permits a shorter stay in the hospital. A trans urethral Prostatectomy is performed by using general or spinal anesthesia, then a special type of cystoscope (bladder viewing tube) called a resectoscope is passed up the urethra so that the prostate can be seen. Then, a heated wire loop, or sometimes a cutting edge is inserted through the resectoscope and used to cut away as much of the prostatic tissue as possible. Then the pieces of the tissue are washed out through the resectoscope and any bleeding vessels are cauterized by means of an electrode passed up the tube. The resectoscope is then withdrawn and a catheter is passed via the urethra into the bladder, which is left in place for several days to drain urine from the bladder and allow blood to be washed out.
