Pelvic fracture and associated urologic injuries

Successful management of patients with major pelvic injuries requires a team approach including orthopedic, urologic, and trauma surgeons. Each unstable pelvic disruption must be treated aggressively to minimize complications and maximize long-term functional outcome. Commonly associated urologic injuries include injuries of the urethra, corpora cavernosa (penis), bladder, and bladder neck. Bladder injuries are usually extraperitoneal and result from shearing forces or direct laceration by a bone spicule. Posterior urethral injuries occur more commonly with vertically applied forces, which typically create Malgaigne-type fractures. Common complications of urethral disruption are urethral stricture, incontinence, and impotence. Acute urethral injury management is controversial, although it appears that early primary realignment has promise for minimizing the complications. Impotence after pelvic fracture is predominantly vascular in origin, not neurologic as once thought.