Overflow Urinary Incontinence
Also known as: “detrusor atony”.
The bladder enters a state of “permanent fullness” at which point urine may passively leak, or overflow, through the urinary sphincter which cannot withstand constant pressure.
Typically overflow incontinence is caused by either some form of obstruction, which restricts normal flow or urine out of the bladder, or a detrusor muscle weakness. The detrusor muscle normally causes the bladder to contract and expel the urine, but if it is too weak the bladder is never properly emptied. This condition is known as “detrusor atony”.
If a weak detrusor muscle is indeed the problem detrusan® electrical stimulation therapy can exercise the detrusor muscle to restore the strength it needs to fully void the bladder.
Obstruction may be caused by:
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) in men, which is a nonmalignant enlargement of the prostate gland)
- Bladder (vesical) neck contracture (narrowing of the outlet from the bladder due to scarring or excess muscle tissue)
- Urethral narrowing (strictures). Bladder outlet obstruction can occur in women with significant pelvic organ prolapse (such as a prolapsed uterus).
- Surgery to correct incontinence (such as the sling or bladder neck suspension procedures); this is called iatrogenically induced overflow incontinence.
- Herniated lumbar disc
- Diabetes
- Nerve problems (peripheral neuropathy)
- AIDS
- Genital herpes affecting the area around the urethra (the perineal area)
- neurosyphilis.
detrusan® is a breakthrough FDA approved therapy for the treatment of urinary incontinence. If you suffer from UI, please take the time to peruse the information in this site and see if detrusan® is right for you.
