Page 102 - Urological Health

• A urodynamics test measures how your bladder and urinary sphincter work. A small
catheter (only a few millimeters in size) is placed into your bladder, and another one into
your rectum. Your bladder is then filled with fluid, and the pressures in your bladder are
measured during filling, and at the end when you are asked to urinate.

Non-surgical, non-medical treatments

Some men may not be very bothered by their incontinence, and may choose to manage it with
pads. See Table 3 for an overview of some things you can do, without medicine or surgery, to help
with your incontinence.

Table 3. Non-medical non-surgical treatment options
• Pads, liners, diapers
• Changing the types and amounts of fluids you drink
• Pelvic floor muscle exercises (Kegel’s exercises)
• Catheters, condom catheters, penile clamps

UNDER REVIEW
Some non-operative options to manage urinary incontinence:
• Various penile clamps can be used to manage stress incontinence. These devices act like
a clothespin on the penis, and help stop the urinary leakage. However, they can cause
penile and urethral damage, and damage to the skin of the penis. These are best used by
men who want to use them only for infrequent, short periods of time (such as a few hours
during a weekly golf game).

• Condom catheters are condoms that are attached to the penis with adhesive, and drain
into a catheter bag worn on the leg. These can also cause skin irritation on the penis, but
may be appropriate for some men.
• Catheters may be required for some men with overflow incontinence. These catheters can
be left in all the time, (and then changed every four to six weeks). An alternative to a
catheter in the bladder all the time is to learn how to pass a catheter into the bladder only
when you need to urinate (usually one to four times a day).
• Doing pelvic floor muscle exercises (or Kegel’s exercise) is a good way to strengthen your
pelvic floor. They are commonly used in women, and are also appropriate for men. They
can be used for both stress and urgency type incontinence. It is usually recommended
that you do at least 30-50 contractions daily (usually split into three to five different sets
done throughout the day). If you have trouble with this, see a specialized nurse or
physiotherapist who treats pelvic floor disorders (a list of these professions can be
found online: http://www.canadiancontinence.ca/english/list-professionals.php).
Biofeedback is the term used when these exercises are taught with the help of a device
that shows you what your muscles are doing in order to make it easier for you to
understand how to control and interpret your muscles. You should do these exercises
after your prostate surgery to speed up the return of your urinary continence.

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