Ask An Expert: Bladder Tear

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Ask An Expert: Bladder Tear

Question:

I was told today that I have a tear or fold on my bladder. What does this mean? How does something like this happen?

Answer:

A bladder fold is simply a flap of normal bladder wall tissue. A bladder tear is very different. Tears in the bladder do not happen spontaneously. They are the result of significant trauma to the pelvic area, such as what might occur in a major motor vehicle accident.

The symptoms associated with traumatic injury to the bladder often include pain and tenderness above the pubic bone, bloody urine and difficulty urinating.

The diagnosis of a bladder tear is usually made by doing a CT scan after instilling contrast into the bladder.

Michael O'Leary M.D., M.P.H., is associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School and in the Division of Urology at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospitals.

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Last updated:	January 24, 2007

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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