Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Detrusor Underactivity Model in Rats by Conus Medullaris Transection
Published on: August 28, 2020
Transmural vaginal-to-bladder injury from an obstructed labor pattern
Arielle M Allen1, Tracy Lakin, S Abbas Shobeiri
1From the Division of Urogynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and The Womens Health Group, St John Medical Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Background:
A vesicovaginal fistula, among other devastating sequelae, is a complication that can arise from obstetric trauma such as prolonged obstructed labor patterns. These are rarely seen as obstetric-related complications in well-developed countries. They are thought to arise from direct ischemic injury that can occur between the fetal head and the adjacent tissues.
Case:
A patient presented to the emergency room in obstructed labor. Examination revealed a crowning fetal head, no fetal heart tones, and purulent vaginal discharge. Postpartum, the patient experienced irritative voiding symptoms, vaginal stenosis, and cystoscopic evidence of injury to the bladder base.
Conclusion:
These findings may provide evidence of the transmural vaginal-to-bladder damage that can occur from obstructed labor.
Related Concept Videos
Urinary Bladder
In males, the bladder is situated in front of the rectum, while in females, it is positioned anterior to the vagina and uterus. The bladder floor contains an inverted triangular area called the trigone, defined by the two ureteric...
Intestinal Obstruction II: Pathophysiology
Intestinal Obstruction I: Introduction
Disorders of the Urinary System
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common urinary system disorders. They are caused by bacteria that enter the urethra and can spread to the bladder resulting in cystitis. Pyelonephritis is the result of a UTI that has ascended to the level of the...
Urodynamic Studies: Uroflowmetry
The Micturition Reflex
The process begins with bladder filling, where the bladder wall stretches as urine accumulates. This stretching activates the urine storage reflex, mediated by the sacral spinal segments and the pontine storage center. Efferent sympathetic impulses stimulate the detrusor muscle to relax and the internal urethral sphincter to contract, facilitating urine...