3-2-1: Obstruction or Underactive Bladder?

I. Symptoms are misleading
A man may void often yet still have an underactive bladder. Frequency does not always equal overactivity.

II. Flow patterns reveal the mechanism
Continuous weak streams point to obstruction. Fluctuating or intermittent streams point to underactive bladder.

III. Risk factors matter
Diabetes and chronic low back pain often predict impaired detrusor function and harder recoveries after surgery.

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I. Sherlock Holmes on deduction:
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data.”
Symptom reports without flow data lead us astray.

II. Hippocrates on prognosis:
“For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure are most suitable.”
Complex LUTS cases demand clear differentiation before intervention.

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When you hear “weak stream,” do you assume obstruction, or do you look for intermittency that might signal an underactive bladder?

With care,

Team IPC