Clean intermittent self-catheterization in the elderly.

There has been some doubt as to whether or not the elderly patient can successfully master and comply with clean intermittent self-catheterization in the treatment of their bladder dysfunctions. We recently reviewed our experience with intermittent self-catheterization in patients sixty years of age and older to determine whether or not this was an acceptable alternative to other methods of urinary drainage. Our retrospective analysis of 65 patients between the ages of sixty and eighty years revealed that the elderly patient had little difficulty mastering the technique of intermittent self-catheterization. Complications were minimal and in general correctable. The catheterization program was successful in 94 per cent of the patients in our series.