Urethral injury

Urethral injury usually occurs as a result of penile injury or pelvic fractures. Urethra is a tube-like structure that carries urine from the bladder out of the body. In men, urethra starts from the bladder and passes through the prostate gland and perineum and through the penis. In women, the urethra is shorter and starts from the bladder, running till the vagina. Any injury to the urethra slows down or blocks the flow of urine.

Urethral injury usually occurs in men and it may be due to blunt trauma, incorrect insertion of the catheter, straddle injury or due to pelvic muscle fracture. Injury to urethral results in a leak of urine into other tissues surrounding it and this causes swelling and other discomforts.

What are the symptoms of the urethral injury?

The main symptoms of urethral injury are as follows:

• Pain in the belly
• Distended Urinary bladder
• Blood in the urine
• Unable to pass urine
• Swelling and bruising of the penis in men

What are the treatments of urethral injury?

Treatment for urethral injury depends upon the severity of the injury, location of the injury and patient's overall health condition.

The anterior urethral injury can be fixed by surgery. In case of minor injuries, suprapubic cystostomy is preferred, in which catheter is placed in the bladder through the lower abdomen. In cases of posterior urethral injury, treatment is quite complicated and it cannot be fixed right away. A catheter is inserted in the bladder at the time of injury and is left for 3 to 6 months. In most cases of posterior injury, the problem is fixed by surgery. A catheter which is inserted is removed after the treatment otherwise, it contracts on its own and causes pain.

Endoscopic realignment treatment is useful to treat the pelvic fracture and urethral distraction injuries.

After the treatment

The most common problem after the urethral treatment is urethral scarring. The scars may strain while urinating and the scars partly block the urine flow and this weakens the stream. This problem has been fixed by placing some instruments through the urethra.

If one had pelvic fracture urethral injury, the urologist may call for follow- up care. It is done to check the presence of erectile dysfunction and urine control problems.

You can get the best treatment for all kinds of urological problems at Dr. Anandan's Uro-Andrology Clinic. The clinic has well-experienced urologists and advanced technologies are used to deliver proper care and treatment. For more queries, contact Dr. Clinic Anandan's Uro-Andrology, Chennai. Call@9840454640