Shingles Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Shingles, including details on symptoms, treatment, causes, virus.

Herpes zoster-associated acute urinary retention: a case report.

Julia JJ, Cholhan HJ

Women’s Continence Center of Greater Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA, jjjulia73@hotmail.com.

An 87-year-old woman presents with a 4-week history of urinary incontinence during which she had been treated for disseminated herpes zoster virus (HZV). On physical exam painful vesicles involving the entire vulvar region with mainly right sacral distribution were found. A catheterized volume exceeded 600 ml of retained urine after the patient failed to void spontaneously. Multichannel voiding-pressure urodynamic studies revealed an acontractile neurogenic bladder with overflow incontinence. The patient was discharged on a conservative regimen with arrangement for visiting nurse services to perform intermittent self-catheterization twice daily. Urodynamic testing was repeated 10 weeks after initial symptoms. During voiding cystometry a biphasic increase in detrusor pressure of 15 cm H(2)O was observed with no increase in abdominal pressure. The patient emptied 400 ml with a postvoid residual of 300 ml. Recovery from HZV-associated bladder emptying dysfunction can be achieved usually through conservative management, including intermittent self-catheterization. Complete recovery time ranges from 4 to 10 weeks.

Published 23 November 2006 in Int Urogynecol J Pelvic Floor Dysfunct, 18(1): 103-104.
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