Spontaneous urinary bladder perforation presenting as bowel obstruction in a child: a case report

Abstract

Background Spontaneous perforation of the urinary bladder is a rare disease entity. Due to its rarity, it is often hard to diagnose. Case presentation We present a case of a 2-year-old patient who presented with bowel obstruction and renal failure after scheduled correctional vertebroplasty due to congenital kyphosis. During exploratory laparotomy, two perforations were found at the dome of the urinary bladder, and an idiopathic spontaneous perforation of the urinary bladder was diagnosed. Primary double repair of the perforations was done, and no primary or secondary cause of the perforation was found. Conclusion The constellation of an acute abdomen and abnormal kidney function tests should increase the index of suspicion towards urinary bladder perforation. Due to its rarity, exploratory laparotomy is the gold standard method of diagnosis and treatment.