SPONTANEOUS RUPTURE OF THE URINARY-BLADDER IN THE PUERPERIUM

Spontaneous rupture of the urinary bladder in the puerperium is extrem ely rare. The patient usually presents with acute abdominal pain. Awar eness on the part of the treating surgeon that bladder rupture is a po ssibility will lead to an early diagnosis. Immediate exploration, remo ving 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.