Urinary flow is defined in terms of the size and force of the patient's stream. The caliber and force of the urinary stream vary greatly. The normal urinary stream should be continuous for at least 80% of urination.
Hesitancy is a delay in initiating urination. Intermittency describes a urinary stream that is not continuous. Incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine.
Stress incontinence usually results from pelvic relaxation or damage to the urinary sphincter. Urge incontinence is usually secondary to inflammatory changes in the urinary stretch receptors. Overflow incontinence occurs when there is minimal emptying of a distended bladder, leaving a high bladder volume and only a short period before the next urination. Total incontinence implies a continual discharge of urine. Enuresis is involuntary incontinence, but this term is commonly used for nocturnal incontinence while asleep.
Copyright © 1990, Butterworth Publishers, a division of Reed Publishing.