Urethral injuries

[Vania]

The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder outside the body. In men, the urethra runs through the middle of the penis.
Most urethral injuries occur in men. Common causes include pelvic fractures and straddle injuries to the perineum. The perineum is the area between the anus and the scrotum (or in women between the anus and vulva). (See also Overview of Urinary Tract and Genital Injury.)
The urethra can also be injured unintentionally during surgical procedures done directly on the urethra or during procedures in which instruments are passed into the urethra, such as bladder catheterization or cystoscopy (passing a flexible viewing tube through the urethra into the bladder). Occasionally, injuries result from gunshot wounds. Rarely, urethral injuries can be self-inflicted when a person inserts a foreign object directly into the urethra, or they can occur with a penile fracture.
Some injuries to the urethra are limited to bruising. Injury to the urethra can also tear the lining, resulting in leakage of urine into the tissues of the penis, scrotum, abdominal wall, or perineum.
Complications that can result from urethral injuries include infection, bleeding, permanent narrowing (stricture), erectile dysfunction, and uncontrollable loss of urine (urinary incontinence).