Evidence Lacking on Treatments for Chronic Urinary Retention in Adults

A new research review from AHRQ found that there is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the comparative benefits or harms of treatments for persistent partial retention of urine or chronic urinary retention (CUR) in adults. The review, “Chronic Urinary Retention: Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments and Harms,” said the evidence addresses only a subset of possible treatments and just a few of the many possible subgroups of CUR patients based on underlying conditions. The low strength of the available evidence suggests that transurethral resection of the prostate and microwave therapy achieved similar results in the rate at which men were catheter-free at six months after treatment. In addition, the review indicated, no data were found to assess the impact of treating CUR independently of treating benign prostatic enlargement and other lower urinary tract symptoms.

Chronic Urinary Retention: Comparative Effectiveness and Harms of Treatments - Research Review - Final | AHRQ Effective Health Care Program