title: Urethral obstruction due to the passage of a retained projectile into the genitounrinary system.
abstract: Urethral foreign bodies are relatively rare. When seen, they are usually the result of entry via the urethral meatus. Several reports in the literature have documented the passage of retained bullets into the genitourinary system. The vast majority of these were ultimately expelled spontaneously via the urethra. Very few cases of urethral obstruction and accompanying urinary retention due to bullet migration have been described. The presented case details distal urethral obstruction due to the migration of a retained firearm projectile presenting 1 month after initial gunshot wound. No such case exists in the emergency medicine literature.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Georgia, Department of Emergency Medicine, Augusta, GA 30912-4007, USA. sshiver@mcq.edu
authors.forename: Stephen A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Shiver
authors.forename: Bradford Z
authors.initials: BZ
authors.lastname: Reynolds
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005548:Foreign-Body Migration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011859:Radiography; D014524:Urethral Obstruction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery