Can nerve get damaged during improper catheterization?

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thanks for consulting us. The most common cause of urethral injury is traumatic catheterization. Especially in male catheterization, it is possible to cause false passage during catheterization if the catheter was inserted without proper lubricant. The other causes of urethral injury during improper catheterization are, when the patient is not comfortable during the procedure, anatomic abnormalities with the urethra like stricture, and incompetent (less of experience) person performing catheterization. But the false passage does not lead to nerve damage. The consequences of false passage can be long-term stricture, which will need surgical correction. In our practice, we train nurses for catheter insertion. We instruct them not to use force during catheterization.

If you have any more queries, please do not hesitate to ask.

Kind regards.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

I have never seen nerve getting damaged. But in trauma or injury, it could happen depending on the force of insertion (balloon inflation), and how much saline is used to inflate or to pull out an inflated balloon. Injury or false passage happens at the bulbar urethra. After bulbar urethra, there is almost a 90-degree angle the catheter remains straight, causing penetration. Inflating the balloon thinking that the catheter has reached the bladder will cause more damage. Pudendal nerve crosses in front of the ischial spine, and it can be injured if the catheter was inserted to that level, but the injury will not be direct, it will rather be from surrounding inflammation and fibrosis, and that damage will be temporary will resolve after healing in few weeks.

If you have any more queries, please do not hesitate to ask.

Kind regards.