Voiding Dysfunction
Voiding dysfunction refers to any abnormality associated with emptying your bladder. Depending on the type of voiding dysfunction, you may or may not be aware of this problem. Some examples include urinary retention, incomplete bladder emptying, double voiding, urinary hesitancy and valsalva (straining) voiding. Causes of voiding problems can be a dropped bladder, previous pelvic surgery, pelvic floor muscle spasm, neurologic disease or a weak bladder muscle.
Diagnosis
Diagnosing voiding dysfunction may require an extensive workup. The first step is to determine if you completely empty your bladder. This information can be obtained with either a bladder scanner or by a straight catheter. Also, urodynamics or a uroflow can be performed to examine your voiding pattern, bladder volume and maximum urine flow rate.
