Large bowel obstruction caused by urinary retention from benign prostate hyperplasia

Although large bowel obstruction is a common surgical emergency, its occurrence due to bladder distension is rarely reported in the literature. We report a case of large bowel obstruction caused by bladder distention secondary to benign prostate hyperplasia in a 67-year-old man. This case demonstrates a grossly distended urinary bladder compressing the rectosigmoid colon against the sacrum, presenting as a complete large bowel obstruction. Management consisted of transurethral urinary catheter insertion, which resulted in complete resolution of the bowel obstruction with drainage of a large amount of urine. Early recognition of the underlying etiology resulted in the expeditious treatment of large bowel obstruction.