[The Introduction of Pubic Hair into the Bladder : A Possibility of an Alternate Mechanism]

In patients with an indwelling Foley catheter, pubic hair may be introduced into the bladder. This is believed to occur because the pubic hairs are pushed into the bladder during catheter replacement. However, compared withpatients on intermittent self-catheterization, patients withan indwelling Foley catheter have fewer chances of their pubic hair being pushed into the bladder. This suggests the presence of an alternate mechanism responsible for introducing pubic hair into the bladder during catheter replacement. We performed several experiments to identify this. In a urethral model created with a silicone tube and Foley catheter, a pubic hair was placed between the tube and catheter, and the catheter was moved forward and backward. We confirmed that the pubic hair moved only toward the hair root side. This motion was assumed to be the mechanism by which pubic hair is introduced into the bladder.