Glossary: Bladder Conditions

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Glossary

anal canal: The last inch of the rectum before it opens to the outside of the body.

benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH): A noncancerous enlargement of the prostate that can interfere with urination.

bladder neck: The junction of the bladder and the urethra.

catheter: A hollow, flexible tube used to add or remove fluid to or from the body, commonly inserted into the bladder through the urethra.

detrusor instability: Involuntary contractions of the detrusor muscle while the bladder is filling, resulting in urgency, frequency, or sometimes incontinence.

detrusor muscle: The layer of involuntary muscle in the bladder wall; during urination, it contracts to squeeze urine out of the bladder into the urethra.

frequency: A type of urinary incontinence in which a person routinely needs to urinate more than eight times during the day or more than twice at night.

functional incontinence: Incontinence caused by problems (other than gastrointestinal conditions) that make it difficult to reach a toilet in time.

impaction: Hardened feces blocking the rectum or colon.

intrinsic sphincter deficiency: Inability of the urinary sphincter to close completely.

Kegel: An exercise for the pelvic floor muscles; used to prevent and treat incontinence.

micturition: Emptying the bladder; another name for urination or voiding.

nocturia: Regularly needing to urinate more than twice during the night.

overactive bladder: Frequent urination and urges to urinate; a popular name for detrusor instability.

pelvic floor: The supportive network of muscles that extends from the pubic bone to the tailbone with openings for the urethra and anus as well as the vagina in women.

perineum: The area of skin between the vagina and anus in women, and between the scrotum and anus in men.

pessary: A device worn in the vagina to support or correct the position of the uterus, rectum, or bladder.

prolapse: A condition in which a part of the body drops from its normal position.

puborectalis muscle: A pelvic floor muscle that forms a sling around the rectum.

pudendal nerve: The nerve that controls the muscles of the pelvic floor; plays an important role in urinary and fecal continence.

rectocele: A weakening of the vaginal wall that allows the rectum to bulge into the vagina.

sling: A slender piece of material surgically inserted under the urethra or bladder neck to provide support and improve continence.

sphincter: A circular band of muscle that surrounds and is capable of closing off an opening to one of the body's hollow organs, such as the rectum.

ureters: The two tubes that connect the kidneys to the bladder.

urethra: The tube that connects the bladder to the outside of the body.

urethral hypermobility: Movement of the urethra out of place when abdominal pressure increases, leading to stress incontinence.

urgency: A type of incontinence in which a person feels a sudden and uncontrollable need to urinate or defecate.

Last updated:	September 05, 2008