VOIDING DYSFUNCTION
Voiding dysfunction is a term used to describe problems
that arise from the ability to hold and release urine from one’s bladder. Symptoms may include recurrent urinary tract infections, small frequent urinations, urgency, dribbling of urine, infrequent voiding, a weak or intermittent stream and/or straining to void. Brain or spinal cord problems, either congenital or acquired, are the primary causes of voiding dysfunction. In an otherwise normal individual, without any anatomic urinary tract obstruction or neurologic disease, voiding problems are thought to be caused by behavioral factors that had affected toilet training during childhood. This may have prevented a successful transition from an infantile to an adult pattern of urinary control. Treating these patients aims to preserve renal function and to prevent unavoidable and embarrassing public “leaks” and so provide for socially acceptable control of urine patterns. To achieve these goals, management requires early identification of the status of any brain or spinal cord injury to the urinary tract that represents a risk factor for renal function deterioration.
