Urinary ascites secondary to delayed diagnosis of laparoscopic bladder injury

• Main Authors: Al-Mandeel Hazem, Qassem Abeer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2010-01-01
• Series: Journal of Minimal Access Surgery
• Subjects: Inadvertent bladder injury; laparoscopy; urinary ascites
• Online Access: http://www.journalofmas.com/article.asp?issn=0972-9941;year=2010;volume=6;issue=2;spage=50;epage=52;aulast=Al-Mandeel

We present a case of urinary ascites in a young woman secondary to unrecognized bladder injury during gynaecologic laparoscopic surgery. Delayed diagnosis occurred due to the absence of expected changes in serum biochemistry, which made the diagnosis of urinoma less likely. High suspicion of bladder injury following laparoscopic surgery should be present in patients with ill-defined symptoms even if no biochemical changes are seen. The case demonstrates important points in relation to the consequences of delayed diagnosis as well as overview on detection and prevention of such injury.