Is lumbar spondylosis a cause of urinary retention in elderly women?
OBJECTIVES: Lumbar spondylosis (LS) is a common spinal degenerative disorder which causes various types of lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD). However, it is not certain whether LS may cause urinary retention in elderly women. METHODS: In a period covering the past 3 years, we retrospectively reviewed: a) urodynamic case records of women with urinary retention (post-void residuals, PVR > 100 ml), b) the records of women with LUTD due to LS (cauda equina syndrome and spinal canal narrowing by MRI), and c) uro-neurological features of women who belonged to both a) and b). RESULTS: a) One-hundred women with a mean age of 58 years had urinary retention. The most common underlying disease was multiple system atrophy [19], followed by multiple sclerosis [13] and cervical/thoracic tumours [8]. LS was the fourth most common [5], with the highest age (71 years) of all diseases. b) Nineteen women with LUTD had LS (12, canal narrowing of 50-70%; 7 > 70 %), with a mean PVR volume of 60 ml. A f
