About Cystocele (Fallen Bladder)

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For more information about cystocele, contact the following organizations:

American Foundation for Urologic Disease
1000 Corporate Boulevard
Suite 410
Linthicum, MD 21090
Phone: 1-800-828-7866 or 410-689-3990
Fax: 410-689-3998
Email: admin@afud.org
Internet: www.afud.org

American Urogynecologic Society
2025 M Street NW.
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-367-1167
Fax: 202-367-2167
Email: info@augs.org
Internet: www.augs.org

National Association for Continence
P.O. Box 1019
Charleston, SC 29402-1019
Phone: 1-800-252-3337 or 843-377-0900
Fax: 843-377-0905
Email: memberservices@nafc.org
Internet: www.nafc.org

Additional Information on Cystocele

The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse collects resource information on kidney and urologic diseases for the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. This database provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources.

To provide you with the most up-to-date resources, information specialists at the clearinghouse created an automatic search of CHID. To obtain this information, you may view the results of the automatic search on cystocele.

If you wish to perform your own search of the database, you may access the CHID Online website and search CHID yourself.

source: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/cystocele/index.htm

Cystocele (Fallen Bladder)

A cystocele (SIS-tuh-seal) occurs when the wall between a woman's bladder and her vagina weakens and allows the bladder to droop into the vagina. This condition may cause discomfort and problems with emptying the bladder.

A bladder that has dropped from its normal position may cause two kinds of problems—unwanted urine leakage and incomplete emptying of the bladder. In some women, a fallen bladder stretches the opening into the urethra, causing urine leakage when the woman coughs, sneezes, laughs, or moves in any way that puts pressure on the bladder.

A cystocele is mild (grade 1) when the bladder droops only a short way into the vagina. With more severe (grade 2) cystocele, the bladder sinks far enough to reach the opening of the vagina. The most advanced (grade 3) cystocele occurs when the bladder bulges out through the opening of the vagina.

A cystocele may result from muscle straining while giving birth. Other kinds of straining—such as heavy lifting or repeated straining during bowel movements—may also cause the bladder to fall. The hormone estrogen helps keep the muscles around the vagina strong. When women go through menopause (when they stop having periods), their bodies stop making estrogen, so the muscles around the vagina and bladder may grow weak.

A doctor may be able to diagnose a grade 2 or grade 3 cystocele from a description of symptoms and from physical examination of the vagina because the fallen part of the bladder will be visible. A voiding cystourethrogram (sis-toe-yoo-REETH-roe-gram) is a test that involves taking x rays of the bladder during urination. This x ray shows the shape of the bladder and lets the doctor see any problems that might block the normal flow of urine. Other tests may be needed to find or rule out problems in other parts of the urinary system.

Treatment options range from no treatment for a mild cystocele to surgery for a serious cystocele. If a cystocele is not bothersome, the doctor may only recommend avoiding heavy lifting or straining that could cause the cystocele to worsen. If symptoms are moderately bothersome, the doctor may recommend a pessary—a device placed in the vagina to hold the bladder in place. Pessaries come in a variety of shapes and sizes to allow the doctor to find the most comfortable fit for the patient. Pessaries must be removed regularly to avoid infection or ulcers.

Large cystoceles may require surgery to move the bladder back into a more normal position and keep it there. This operation may be performed by a gynecologist, a urologist, or a urogynecologist. The patient should be prepared to stay in the hospital for several days and take 4 to 6 weeks to recover fully.

source: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/cystocele/index.htm