Published online Jan 15, 2019. doi: 10.5313/wja.v8.i1.1
Peer-review started: July 9, 2018
First decision: August 9, 2018
Revised: November 11, 2018
Accepted: January 5, 2019
Article in press: January 5, 2019
Published online: January 15, 2019
Processing time: 192 Days and 6 Hours
Postoperative urinary retention (POUR) is one of the postoperative complications which is often underestimated and often gets missed and causes lot of discomfort to the patient. POUR is essentially the inability to void despite a full bladder in the postoperative period. The reported incidence varies for the wide range of 5%-70%. Multiple factors and etiology have been reported for occurrence of POUR and these depend on the type of anaesthesia, type and duration of surgery, underlying comorbidities, and drugs used in perioperative period. Untreated POUR can lead to significant morbidities such as prolongation of the hospital stay, urinary tract infection, detrusor muscle dysfunction, delirium, cardiac arrhythmias etc. This has led to an increasing focus on early detection of POUR. This review of literature aims at understanding the normal physiology of micturition, POUR and its predisposing factors, complications, diagnosis and management with special emphasis on the role of ultrasound in POUR.
Core tip: Postoperative urinary retention is considerable concern inpatients after the surgical intervention. It not only dissatisfies the patient but also confounds many serious concerns in immediate postoperative period. It is reported variably with many etiological factors. Its understanding, recognition using suitable assessment/tools and suitable timely management remains paramount and can avoid many untoward outcomes.