Obstruction of the Urinary Tract
Obstruction of the urinary tract may be one-sided or bilateral. Unilateral obstruction occurs because of blockage of a ureter - the tube between the kidney and the bladder. This may be blocked at its origin in the kidney, called the pelvi-ureteric junction, as a result of anatomical abnormality, or at any point along its length by a kidney stone within, or by compression from, for example, lymph nodes from without. There is loin pain made worse by drinking and a tendency to infection. Bilateral or total obstruction is caused by blockage at the level of the bladder, most commonly by enlargement of the prostate, by tumours, stones or blood clots in the bladder, or by a urethral stricture (a narrowing of the urethra, the tube between the bladder and the outside, caused by chronic inflammation). Total obstruction produces urinary retention and abdominal discomfort which progresses to pain. The obstruction must be relieved in order to prevent progressive kidney damage.
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