[The catheterized bladder]

Abstract

Whatever the cause is, the retention of urine needs a bladder drainage whose mode must not be considered as an evidence. Otherwise, the immediate easiness is likely to be the only criterion of choice. The indwelling catheterization is thus overused, whereas its complications (infectious, cancerous, patient comfort...), which are particularly frequent, should make it be perceived secondarily difficult to manage. Its alternatives, particularly clean intermittent self-catherization and suprapubic catheter, have to be first and systematically discusseed, as well as the relevance of the bladder catherization itself.