Pseudorenal failure as a delayed presentation of a traumatic urinary bladder rupture

Abstract

The urinary bladder is less susceptible to traumatic injury than other abdominal organs, due to its anatomical location behind the pubic bone. As a result, intraperitoneal urinary bladder ruptures are a rare consequence of blunt abdominal trauma and most often occur in the context of high energy and multitraumas. However, a distended bladder is more vulnerable to burst rupture even from a minor trauma, and in case of an isolated bladder injury, presentation can be delayed. We describe a case in which a patient presented 4 days after a minor blunt trauma, with an acute abdomen and pseudorenal failure as the main clinical signs of urinary ascites due to a significant bladder rupture. As an intraperitoneal bladder rupture is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and should be treated surgically, it should always be considered in patients presenting with anuria, ascites and increased serum creatinine after abdominal trauma.