Urinary Tract Injuries

Men's health :: Female Urology :: Paediatric Urology

Infections :: Urethral diverticulum :: Pelvic prolapse :: Urinary tract injuries
Pregnancy & Urinary tract :: Urinary Incontinence :: Haematuria :: Cancer

Urinary tract injuries are injuries to the parts of urinary system which include kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.

Common causes of urinary tract injuries include

• Trauma: Fall, motor vehicle collision, or blow to the body
• Penetrating wounds from gunshots
• Unintentional injuries during surgeries, tests, or treatment of the abdomen, pelvis, urethra, and kidneys
• Pelvic fractures or straddle injuries

Bladder injuries: If the injury results in rupture of bladder it may cause urine to leak into the abdomen leading to infection of the bladder. Some of the commonly observed symptoms are pain, blood in the urine, and difficulty in urination.

Some of the complications of bladder injuries include urinary incontinence (uncontrolled urination), frequent urination, and infection (cystitis and peritonitis).

Tear and bruises of the bladder can be treated by inserting catheter into the urethra. In severe cases, surgery is performed to repair the tears.

Urethral injuries: It most commonly occurs in men. Injuries to the urethra include tear in urethra lining which results in leakage of urine into the surrounding tissues like scrotum, abdominal wall, and penis and bruises. The common symptoms include blood at the tip of penis, blood in urine, and difficulty and pain while urinating,

Complications of urethral injuries include infections, bleeding, permanent narrowing of urethra, and erectile dysfunction.  

Urethral bruises are treated by inserting a catheter into the bladder through urethra to drain the urine until the urethra heals. Urethral tears are treated by inserting a catheter through urethra into the bladder to divert the path or urine.

Ureteral injuries: Injury to the ureters tubes leads to several complications such as formation of fistula (abnormal connection to another structure), urinary leakage, and narrowing of ureter tubes. Commonly observed symptoms include pain in the abdomen, leakage of urine, infection, and blood in urine.

Minor ureteral injuries can be treated by placing a flexible tube in the ureter through bladder or kidney. It diverts the flow of urine in the ureter tube allowing the ureter tube to heal. In some cases ureter reconstruction is required.

Kidney injuries: Kidneys are the most common organ that is injured. The common injuries include kidney failure and infections. Damage to kidneys may also cause hypertension and delay in bleeding. Most commonly observed symptoms are pain in the abdomen, blood in urine, and anemia.