Acute retention of urine due to benign prostatic obstruction treated with alpha-adrenergic blockers

Bladder catheterisation is the usual treatment in patients with acute retention of urine due to prostatic hypertrophy. The interference is not without complications why medical treatment would be a progress. The prostatic gland has been found to contain alpha-adrenergic receptors, and it has been argued that some cases of acute retention of urine is caused by over-stimulation of the alpha-adrenergic receptors. In the present study we have investigated the effect of intravenously administered phentolamine ( Regitin ) in patients with acute retention of urine, due to prostatic hypertrophy, and find that the treatment is an alternative to conventional bladder catheterisation.