Acute urinary retention in the female.

The causes of acute urinary retention in the female are discussed in relation to 103 cases recorded over a 3-year period. The authors feel that the findings are at variance with traditional teaching on the subject. Rather than being very rare the condition is found, in fact, to be not uncommon. It is found to occur postoperatively and following childbirth. Gynaecological and neurological lesions are reaffirmed as important causes and pathology within the urinary tract is found to be a more frequent component that is usually appreciated. Our findings do not support the view that hysteria is a common cause of acute urinary retention in females.