Peritonitis and abdominal free air due to intraperitoneal bladder perforation associated with indwelling urethral catheter drainage.

Perforation of the bladder related to long-term indwelling Foley catheter drainage is a rare and serious complication. We report 2 cases of bladder perforation leading to generalized peritonitis and free intraperitoneal air. These cases re-emphasize the importance of considering bladder perforation in the differential diagnosis of the acute abdomen and of performing a complete abdominal exploration when the site of perforation is not easily detectable.