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Standard Catheter

Picture of a standard catheter in place

A urinary catheter is a small, flexible tube that can be inserted through the urethra and into the bladder, allowing urine to drain. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the body.

Standard catheters are often used for intermittent self-catheterization. A thin, flexible, hollow tube is inserted through the urethra into the bladder and allows the urine to drain out.

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Avery L. Seifert, MD - Urology
Last Revised July 8, 2010

Last Revised: July 8, 2010

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine & Avery L. Seifert, MD - Urology

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