Radical hysterectomy, a procedure used in the treatment of women with cervical cancer, is frequently a cause of either temporary or permanent bladder dysfunction in the postoperative period. Four major types of dysfunction are seen: hypertonus of the bladder muscle, loss of sensation of bladder fullness, difficulty initiating micturition, and bladder hypotonia. Nursing interventions can affect adaptation to some of these problems and prevention of others. A review of rehabilitative literature is used to develop a rationale for nursing care using Levine's Conservation Principles as a conceptual framework.