Extraperitoneal bladder rupture without pelvic fracture.

We report 3 cases of extraperitoneal bladder rupture in the absence of pelvic girdle disruption. The existence of this injury suggests that a mechanism other than that classically described for an extraperitoneal rupture is present. An etiology analogous to an intraperitoneal bladder rupture is proposed. It is suggested that in some patients this alternative mechanism is responsible for the bladder injury even in the presence of a coexisting pelvic fracture.