Bladder Diverticulum
What Is Bladder Diverticulum
After repeated visits to the doctor for bladder infections, a surprising diagnosis is finally made: bladder diverticulum. The disorder may be a congenital one or it may have been acquired through infection or an obstruction, and if not for the symptoms they created would never have been noticed.
Diverticula are pouches or sacs that develop within the wall of the bladder. Often, people can be born with these pouches. There are causal reasons for their creation, as well; infections, bladder obstruction (often associated with prostate issues), and bladder inflammations. In someone who is affected by bladder diverticulum, there may be a single sac present or multiples, and they can be of various sizes. They can increase in size over time, and as they do, problems will increase as well.
Creating the most issues through symptoms is the bladder diverticulum that forms at the base of the bladder. Symptoms may include but are not limited to bloody urine, painful urination and urinary tract infections. Less problematic, at least early on in age, are those sacs that develop in the dome of the bladder. This type of bladder diverticulum may make their presence known through symptoms as middle age approaches.
Diagnosing this ailment is not an easy task, and cannot be done through a routine exam. It requires an X-ray or cytoscopy procedure to accurately diagnose bladder diverticulum. When the symptoms have progressed to such a stage that the tests are warranted, sometimes surgery will be required to remove the diverticula.
Larger diverticula are removed through an inpatient surgical procedure. In the best case scenarios, the sac can simply be removed within the bladder. Other times, cutting away of the affected bladder part may be necessary. A series of antibiotics and pain medication are likely to be prescribed after surgery to assist in healing. Additionally, there could possibly be cathaterization to provide automatic elimination of urine for a week or two as the bladder heals. Since an incision is made through the abdominal cavity when the procedure is performed, a longer healing time may be required.
Not everyone who develops bladder diverticulum will have problems or symptoms; most do not. For types that are acquired, it is commonly in older men with prostate issues such as prostatitis, prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer. When born with the defect, it is due to a weak spot in the bladder wall where some of the lining is forced out. Most people are never even aware the condition exists within them.
The diagnosis of bladder diverticulum is reached because an individual has experienced symptoms of the defect on numerous occasions. Whatever the cause of the problem, there is a definite remedy that can relieve the symptoms and put the individual back on the path to a healthy bladder.