Urethral calculi: A rare cause of acute urinary retention in women

Urinary retention is defined as the inability to void; frequently the patient is able to void partially, thus can not completely empty the bladder and diagnosed by increased post-void residual urine (PVR) volumes. It is usually seen in men, but a rare condition in women. The etiological factors may be neurological, anatomical, infectious or pharmacological. It can be encountered after gynecological or incontinence surgery. Urethral calculi associated with acute urinary retention in women is a very rare condition, because of the anatomic structure of female urethra. In this study, a case of acute urinary retention due to the urethral calculus in a middle-aged woman was presented.