kidney and urinary tract disorders
Urinary Tract Obstruction
Treatment of Urinary Obstruction
Relief of obstruction Treatment usually aims to relieve the cause of obstruction. For example, if the urethra is blocked because of a benign enlarged or cancerous prostate, treatment can include drugs, such as Hormonal therapy for prostate cancer, surgery, or enlargement of the urethra with dilators. Other treatments, such as If the cause of obstruction cannot be rapidly corrected, particularly if there is infection, Overview of Kidney Failure , or severe pain, the urinary tract is drained. When acute hydronephrosis is caused by an obstruction that is not easily relieved, urine that has accumulated above the obstruction can be drained with a soft tube inserted through the back into the kidney (nephrostomy tube) or by insertion of a soft plastic tube that connects the bladder with the kidney (ureteral stent). Complications of nephrostomy tubes or ureteral stents can include displacement of the tube, infection, and discomfort. If the urethra is the site of an obstruction that must be relieved rapidly, doctors insert a soft rubber catheter into the bladder to drain urine. Obstructions that cause chronic hydronephrosis usually do not require urgent relief. Complications of urinary tract obstruction, such as Overview of Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and acute kidney failure, if present, are treated promptly. 