Spontaneous Rupture of the Urinary Bladder in the Puerperium

EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this paper for publication because it is important for obstetricians to know that spontaneous rupture of the bladder can occur in the puerperium even when there is no predisposing cause such as obstructed labour or previous injury. Summary: Spontaneous rapture of the urinary bladder in the puerperium is extremely rare. The patient usually presents with acute abdominal pain. Awareness on the part of the treating surgeon that bladder rupture is a possibility will lead to an early diagnosis. Immediate exploration, removing urine from the peritoneal cavity or retropubic space, closing the rupture and securing good vesical drainage, results in resumption of vesical function, and thereby decreases the mortality and morbidity.