Trauma and Urogenital Reconstructive Surgery

Urethral Injuries

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

If the urethra is injured, a person may develop urethra obstructions or strictures. Urethral strictures occur when the urethra is injured or scarred by an infection and then narrows. As a result, problems with the normal passage of urine and semen can develop. Urethral injuries can result in devastating long term consequences. To a young person, the potential complications of impotence, stricture and incontinence often create life-long morbidity.

Injuries affect two parts of the urethra: either the anterior or posterior. In most cases, anterior urethral trauma is characterized as a blunt injury to the perineum, since the urethra is located near the skin in this area. This type of trauma is often the result of straddle-like injuries, such as when a child forcefully straddles a bicycle or fence. Penetrating injuries to the anterior urethra, such as those from a gunshot wound, also may cause strictures or obstructions. Posterior urethral trauma affects the part of the urethra that travels inside the body. In many cases, this type of trauma almost always occurs as a result of pelvic fractures following automobile accidents, serious falls or industrial crash injuries.

Injuries that cause significant damage to the urethra may lead to urinary strictures or obstructions. As a result, a person may experience a variety of symptoms, including:

• Weak or slow urine stream
• Dribbling
• Urinary frequency
• Urgency to urinate
• Nocturia, a condition in which a person has to urinate frequently during the nighttime
• Urinary retention

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007