- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik Castle, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Erik Castle, M.D.
Erik Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancer.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgeons. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
Complications (1)
- Bladder outlet obstruction: Causes in men?
Treatments and drugs (1)
- PSA levels: Can they rise after prostate removal?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Bladder outlet obstruction: Causes in men?
My doctor says I have a bladder outlet obstruction. Is this serious? What causes a bladder obstruction in men?
Answer
from Erik Castle, M.D.
Bladder outlet obstruction refers to any condition that blocks urine flow from the bladder into the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of your body. If not treated, urine backing up in your urinary tubes (ureters) and kidneys can lead to bladder stones, bladder infection and permanent damage to the bladder muscle and kidneys.
Bladder outlet obstruction has a number of possible causes. They include:
- Enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)
- Bladder stones
- Certain medications, including antihistamines, decongestants or drugs to treat overactive bladder
- Narrowing of the urethra from infection, injury or surgery
- Scarring of the opening between the bladder and the urethra, as a result of injury or surgery
- Prostate cancer
Bladder outlet obstruction can cause a wide range of symptoms, including:
- Weak or intermittent urine stream
- Difficulty starting urination (urinary hesitancy)
- Straining to urinate
- Starting and stopping of the urine stream during urination
- Inability to urinate at all
- Dribbling after urination
- Sensation of not being able to completely empty your bladder
- Increased need to urinate at night (nocturia)
Prompt diagnosis and treatment of bladder outlet obstruction is important to prevent serious problems caused by urine backing up into your system.
- Seek emergency treatment if you can't pass any urine and it feels like you have to. In the emergency room, a tube (urinary catheter) will be inserted into your urethra to drain your bladder.
- Go to the doctor for evaluation if you can still urinate but have other signs or symptoms of bladder outlet obstruction — especially if your symptoms are accompanied by fever and chills.
When you see the doctor to be evaluated for a possible bladder outlet obstruction, your doctor may measure the pressure of your urine flow (pressure flow study) or do an ultrasound of your bladder. Once your doctor confirms your symptoms are caused by bladder outlet obstruction, you may need tests to identify the underlying cause. Treatment for bladder outlet obstruction depends on the underlying cause, and may include medications or surgery.
Next questionPSA levels: Can they rise after prostate removal?
- Gerber GS, et al. Evaluation of the urologic patient: History, physical examination, and urinalysis. In: Wein AJ, et al. Campbell-Walsh Urology. 9th ed. Philadelphia Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/145142932-3/0/1445/6.html?tocnode=54299532&fromURL=6.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0798-6..X5001-8--section2_95. Accessed June 22, 2009.
- Arnolds M, et al. Positioning invasive versus noninvasive urodynamics in the assessment of bladder outlet obstruction. Current Opinion in Urology. 2009;19:55.
