Why do I have a poor urine flow?

Q: I am a 79 years old male, had a prostrate surgery two months back. After a few days of surgery, I started facing problem with the urine flow. Even after dilation, the urine flow has not become normal. What is the problem and what should I do?

A:All urinary symptoms are not caused by enlarged prostate. While poor flow may result from bladder outlet obstruction or a weak bladder, irritating symptoms like urinary frequency and urgency result from bladder over activity. Performing surgery without proper selection may result in unsatisfactory outcome. Absence of improvement in symptoms, or even deterioration, may thus occur after prostatic surgery. Despite a proper selection and satisfactory surgery, approximately 5% patients may develop bladder neck contracture or a urethral stricture, and may develop poor flow after initial improvement. Such cases require work up with uroflowmetry and ascending urethrogram before planning any therapy. See your Urologist with your complaints and he would investigate the problem step by step to reach the correct cause, so that you may be helped.