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.
Those who are born with it usually only have one pouch and often don’t need treatment, however, those who develop it can experience multiple pouches.
Causes
Where a bladder diverticulum develops, there are a few causes including:
- A block in the bladder outlet, which can come from scars in the urethra
- A nerve injury
- Prior bladder surgery
This is a condition more common in men – of all diverticulum cases, just 3.4% will be in women. It is less common as there are less likely to be obstructions that are severe enough to lead to a diverticulum.
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.
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