BACKGROUND: Ureteral injuries are considered to be uncommon in cases of trauma. The possibility of damage to the ureters may not be considered in the setting of acute trauma when life-threatening injuries take clinical management priority. A case of acute ureteral injury is described in a patient with acute penetrating gunshot abdominal injury that had a delay in diagnosis, with a review of the literature.

CASE REPORT: A 29-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a missed ureteral injury following a self-inflicted gunshot injury to the abdomen. She underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT) imaging and a retrograde pyelogram, which showed complete transection of the left upper ureter with contrast extravasation and the formation of a large urinoma. She underwent a percutaneous nephrostomy and drainage of the urinoma. An end-to-end ureteric anastomosis with excision of the intervening injured ureter, or ureteroureterostomy, was performed three weeks following the diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Ureteral injuries following trauma are rare, but a delay in diagnosis can be associated with clinical morbidity. A high index of clinical suspicion is important for early identification of ureteral injury in cases of acute abdominal trauma.

Keywords: Abdominal Injuries, Ureter, Wounds, Gunshot