[Acute urinary retention in women]

Acute urinary retention in women is not a common problem. The incidence is 0.07 per 1000 inhabitants per year. The causes of acute urinary retention can be divided into four groups: obstructive, neurological, pharmacological and psychogenic. More than half of acute urinary retentions occur after surgery or parturition. The most common obstructive cause is a gynaecologic tumor. A psychogenic cause is a diagnosis per exclusionem. The treatment of the acute urinary retention has to be catheterisation before further investigation is done.