Definition

Noun: * The inability to empty the bladder completely or at all: A medical condition where urine is held in the urinary bladder and cannot be voided normally, despite the urge to urinate.

Usage

"Urinary retention" is a medical term used to describe a specific symptom or condition. It is typically used in clinical, healthcare, and patient education contexts. * It is often modified by adjectives like acute (sudden and severe) or chronic (long-term). * It is commonly used with verbs like have, experience, cause, treat, and lead to.

Examples

• The patient was admitted to the emergency room with acute urinary retention.
• Urinary retention is a common side effect of some medications.
• The doctor diagnosed the cause of his discomfort as chronic urinary retention.
• An enlarged prostate can lead to urinary retention.

Advanced Usage

• Postoperative urinary retention: A specific type of retention that can occur after surgery, often due to anesthesia or pain medication.
  • Nurses monitor patients closely for signs of postoperative urinary retention.
• The term can be part of a differential diagnosis or a description of complications.
  • The urinary retention was complicating his recovery from the spinal injury.

Variants and Related Words

• Retention (noun): The general act of retaining or holding something. In a medical context without "urinary," it can refer to holding other fluids (e.g., fluid retention).
• Ischuria (noun): A clinical synonym for urinary retention.
• Voiding dysfunction (noun): A broader term that includes urinary retention as well as other problems with bladder emptying.

Synonyms

• Bladder retention
• Inability to void
• Ischuria (medical term)

Antonyms

• Urinary incontinence (the involuntary leakage of urine)
• Normal micturition (normal urination)
• Bladder emptying

Related Phrases

• Catheterization for urinary retention: A common treatment procedure.
  • He required catheterization for urinary retention.
• Relieve urinary retention: To alleviate the condition.
  • The primary goal is to relieve the urinary retention and prevent kidney damage.

Noun

1. holding urine in the urinary bladder
   • he has a problem with urinary retention