Management of obstructive voiding dysfunction.

Voiding dysfunction may be defined as difficulty in the volitional emptying of the bladder in an efficient and controlled manner that can extend from a spectrum of minor irritative symptoms to complete retention. Resolution of symptoms can be accomplished by correctly identifying the underlying pathology and directing therapy appropriately to restore function and anatomy. Causes and treatments of obstructive voiding dysfunction tend to be gender specific. In approximately one-half of women, the causes of obstructive voiding dysfunction are prior anti-incontinence surgery and pelvic organ prolapse, which will usually lead to a surgical intervention. For men, benign prostate disease is the overwhelming cause of obstructive voiding. Due to its increasing prevalence in the aging male population, a variety of treatments--pharmacological and operative--have been developed, with more on the horizon. This review addresses a wide variety of treatments for the numerous conditions causing obstructive voiding dysfunction in men and women, all of them with the goal in mind of resolve the patient's symptoms without creating de novo pathology.