Overview
What is it?
A bladder diverticulum is a pouch in the bladder wall, that a person can either be born with or it can develop later in life.
There can be more than one pouch and this occurs mostly in people who develop them later in life – those who are born with it usually only have one and often don’t need treatment.
Causes
Where a bladder diverticulum develops, there are a few causes including:
- A nerve injury
- Prior bladder surgery
- A block in the bladder outlet, which can come from scars in the urethra or a swollen prostate
Older men are more likely to have more than one pouch, as they tend to get more bladder outlet blocks.
Symptoms
Bladder diverticulum often doesn’t present with any symptoms, but a person can have problems urinating, blood in their urine or a urinary tract infection.
Treatment
For patients with diverticula, the treatment will depend on their symptoms and the cause. If there is a urinary obstruction, then this will need to be relieved or removed, and the diverticulum will also need to be removed. Surgery can be done as an open procedure or laparoscopically.
)
)
)
