Effects of cerebrovascular accident on micturition.

A functionally oriented approach to acute stroke care should take place in conjunction with traditional medical management, because the medical care provided during the first days and weeks after a stroke affects the ultimate disability status of the patient.10 New onset voiding dysfunction after a stroke is a difficult problem for all involved in the care of the patient. Urinary incontinence and retention are socially unacceptable and can be very embarrassing for the patient. They can interfere with patient discharge and complicate patient rehabilitation.13 With the high incidence of stroke, geriatricians and urologists will come across many patients with this condition, and they must approach the problem of voiding dysfunction in concert if they expect to achieve the optimal outcome for the patient. Therefore, proper diagnosis and management of voiding dysfunction in the poststroke patient are important for improved patient well being, increased patient survival, and decreased disability as well as a reduction in the national health care expenditures.