Immediate postoperative complications of combined penetrating rectal and bladder injuries

Combined penetrating trauma involving the rectum and bladder has been associated with increased postoperative morbidity. Specific complications resulting from these injuries include colovesical fistula, urinoma, and abscess formation.

A retrospective review of Temple University Hospital trauma database was performed. Patients were categorized by having an isolated rectal (n = 29), isolated bladder (n = 16), or combined injury (n = 24). Records were reviewed for sex, age, site of injury, location of rectal and bladder injuries, operative intervention, fistula formation, urinoma formation, abscess formation, time to urinary catheter removal, length of intensive care unit stay, and length of hospital stay.

Patient sex and age did not differ significantly between groups, nor was there a significant difference in location of rectal injury between groups. Presacral drainage was utilized in all patients with extraperitoneal injuries. Fecal diversion was performed in all patients, except two with intraperitoneal rectal injuries. Omental flap interposition between rectal and bladder injuries was utilized in one patient. No significant difference was noted in immediate postoperative complications between groups including fistula, urinoma, and abscess formation. However, all cases of colovesical fistula (n = 2) and urinoma (n = 2) formation were noted in those patients with rectal and posterior bladder injuries.

Combined rectal and bladder injuries were not associated with an increase in immediate postoperative complications compared with isolated rectal and bladder injuries. However, postoperative fistula and urinoma formation occurred only in patients with a combined rectal and posterior bladder injury. Consequently, these patients may benefit from omental flap interposition between injuries to decrease fistula and urinoma formation.