Assessment and initial management of urologic trauma.

Acute injury to the urogenital organs may be the result of blunt trauma, penetrating trauma, burns, and avulsion injuries. Both self-inflicted and iatrogenic injuries are part of these problems. These types of injuries may be commonly encountered by physicians and surgeons whose primary focus is not urology and are working in the emergency room, urgent care, or office setting. Appropriate assessment, initial management, and timely referral to a urologist are critical in minimizing morbidity from these injuries. It is trite but true to say that urogenital trauma can be occult in its initial presentation and to be found it must be considered. Likewise, in many cases, aggressive diagnosis is far more important than aggressive treatment. This article focuses on the signs and symptoms, assessment, and initial care in the broad categories of blunt and penetrating trauma, as each may affect the structures of the genitourinary tract.