In a prospective randomized study comprising 90 women undergoing vaginal plastic surgery, suprapubic and transurethral catheter drainage of the bladder were compared regarding urinary tract infection and asymptomatic bacteriuria. No statistically significant differences were found. The mean duration of catheterization was 4.9 days for suprapubic vs 3.3 days for transurethral catheter patients. Postoperative urinary tract infection was diagnosed in 23.7% of patients with suprapubic and in 27.5% of patients with transurethral catheters. Asymptomatic bacteriuria at catheter removal was found in 21.0% of suprapubic and in 12.5% of transurethral catheter patients. More mechanical complications were seen with SPCs than with TUCs. It is concluded that the two methods involve similar risks of infectious complications but that SPCs have a higher rate of mechanical complications.