Rupture of the
urethra
The urethra (: urethras or urethrae) is the tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus, through which Placentalia, placental mammals Urination, urinate and Ejaculation, ejaculate.
The external urethral sphincter is a striated ...
is an uncommon result of
penile injury, incorrect
catheter
In medicine, a catheter ( ) is a thin tubing (material), tube made from medical grade materials serving a broad range of functions. Catheters are medical devices that can be inserted in the body to treat diseases or perform a surgical procedure. ...
insertion,
straddle injury, or
pelvic girdle fracture. The urethra, the muscular tube that allows for
urination
Urination is the release of urine from the bladder through the urethra in Placentalia, placental mammals, or through the cloaca in other vertebrates. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, v ...
, may be damaged by trauma. When urethral rupture occurs, urine may
extravasate
Extravasation is the leakage of a fluid out of its contained space into the surrounding area, especially blood or blood cells from vessels. In the case of inflammation, it refers to the movement of white blood cells through the capillary wall, ...
(escape) into the surrounding tissues. The
membranous urethra
The membranous urethra or intermediate part of male urethra is the shortest, least dilatable, and, with the exception of the urinary meatus, the narrowest part of the urethra. It extends from the apex of the prostate proximally to the bulb of ur ...
is most likely to be injured in pelvic fractures, allowing urine and blood to enter the
deep perineal space and subperitoneal spaces via the
genital hiatus. The
spongy urethra
The spongy urethra (cavernous portion of urethra, penile urethra) is the longest part of the male urethra, and is contained in the corpus spongiosum of the penis.
In humans, it is about 15 cm long, and extends from the termination of the ...
is most likely to be injured with a catheter or in a straddle injury, allowing urine and blood to escape into the
scrotum
In most terrestrial mammals, the scrotum (: scrotums or scrota; possibly from Latin ''scortum'', meaning "hide" or "skin") or scrotal sac is a part of the external male genitalia located at the base of the penis. It consists of a sac of skin ...
, the
penis
A penis (; : penises or penes) is a sex organ through which male and hermaphrodite animals expel semen during copulation (zoology), copulation, and through which male placental mammals and marsupials also Urination, urinate.
The term ''pen ...
, and the superficial peritoneal space. Urethral rupture may be diagnosed with a
cystourethrogram. Due to the tight adherence of the
fascia lata
The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by the medial intermuscular septum and the lateral intermuscular sept ...
, urine from a urethral rupture cannot spread into the thighs.
[{{Cite book, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=twXJpa6Kt18C, title=Anatomy - An Essential Textbook, last=Gilroy, first=Anne M., date=2013-04-27, publisher=Thieme, isbn=9781604062083, language=en]
References
Injuries of abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine and pelvis