Urinary retention

A sudden inability to urinate is usually associated with severe pain. This is known as “urinary retention” or “acute urinary retention.” Chronic urinary retention sometimes develops over the course of several years and does not necessarily result in pain, but still leads to an acute medical emergency. The first treatment for urinary retention is a urethral catheter that allows the urine to drain away.

Further treatment depends on the causes of the bladder emptying disorder.