Patient Story: An 87 Year Old Woman Unable to Pass Urine Requiring Catheterisation Caused by Back Ligament Looseness

There is a prevalence of this condition in nursing homes where many patients cannot pass urine and require indwelling catheters.

Mrs R was 87 years old, and weighed 90kg. She had had a hysterectomy 40 years earlier. For some years she needed to self-catheterize 3-4 times a day as she could not pass urine adequately. 

She had large residual volumes (the amount retained in the bladder after passing urine) and frequent urinary infections. On testing, we confirmed that she also had severe incontinence as she had a very large measured urine loss over a 24 hour period. She had major prolapse of the vagina, much like a glove turned inside out. We inserted a posterior sling and performed a rectocoele repair. She passed urine immediately after the surgery. Her nocturia, previously 5 times per night, reduced to twice per night