SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.60 issue9Partial cystectomy: Our seriesUnilateral adrenal hemorrhage and hypertensive crisis in a patient with antiplatelet treatment author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Indicators

Related links

  • On index processCited by Google
  • Have no similar articlesSimilars in SciELO
  • On index processSimilars in Google

Share


Archivos Españoles de Urología (Ed. impresa)

Print version ISSN 0004-0614

Abstract

SANCHEZ DE BADAJOZ, Eduardo  and  JIMENEZ GARRIDO, Adolfo. Gunshot wound with a bullet lodged in the prostate. Arch. Esp. Urol. [online]. 2007, vol.60, n.9, pp.1117-1119. ISSN 0004-0614.

Objective: We describe a most unusual urological emergency: a firearm wound in which the blunt-nosed hand-gun bullet was lodged in the prostate. A bibliographic search of the literature revealed no similar case. Methods: The patient was admitted presenting a gunshot wound with the entrance hole on the right buttock. There was no exit wound. An X-ray revealed the bullet behind the pubic symphysis. We introduced a suprapubic catheter and then carried out a laparotomy making a discharge colostomy. Urethrogram revealed a pathway of contrast to the rectum. Several days later, we reached the bladder with an urethrotome and introduced an 18 Fr catheter. Under radiological control we made an open approach to the retropubic space, palpated the bullet within the prostate and then removed it. Discussion/Conclusions: The velocity of a rifle or hand-gun bullet is the main determinant of the severity of this type of injury. As there was no exit wound, we knew that the entrance velocity was low, therefore tissue damage would probably be small. In these cases, a preparatory suprapubic cystostomy is essential to be able to carry out a urethral reconstruction later. Radiological control during the procedure proved extremely useful to precisely locate the bullet. Our conservative approach of simply leaving in place the catheter helped us later to avoid a difficult repair of a recto-urethral fistula.

Keywords : Bullet; Prostate; Gunshot wound; Trauma.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )

 

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License