What options do you have when a patient has urinary obstruction during radiation treatment?
What can be done prior to RT to prevent this? (Flomax/hormones not helping)
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
Here is my general practice on urinary symptom management for a man with prostate cancer undergoing RT.Urinary symptom management
RT can decrease urinary symptoms in men with irritable urinary symptoms (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20643513) - not sure of mechanism but it takes time to see t...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
@Mitchell S. Anscher covers the territory of this issue very well. Just a few other points: one should be cautious using any form of anticholinergic since complete obstruction may occur. Only use anticholinergics for voiding symptoms once an obstructive condition is ruled out by urodynamics/pos...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
Managing severe lower urinary tract voiding symptoms, including obstructive symptoms, can be challenging. It's important to enlist our colleagues in urology early on to optimize management, and sometimes urodynamic studies are needed to better define the nature of the problem. Some patients with sev...
Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution
Also, don't forget to check your imaging studies if available or CT sim film for bladder stones. Patients can form stones that can act as ball valves. These types of stones are usually painless, and small ones can often become lodged in the urethra and be otherwise asymptomatic. Th...