Rectal Trauma
Basics
Description
Description
- Injury to rectal mucosa
- Simple contusion to full-thickness laceration with extension into peritoneum or perineum
- 2/3 of rectum is extraperitoneal
Etiology
Etiology
- Penetrating trauma:
- Gunshot wounds: 80% penetrating rectal trauma
- Knife wounds
- Impalement injuries
- Blunt trauma:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Waterskiing and watercraft accidents:
- Hydrostatic pressure injury
- Pelvic fractures:
- Bony fragments penetrate rectum
- Foreign body:
- Autoeroticism
- Anal intercourse
- Assault
- Ingestion of sharp objects
- Iatrogenic trauma: Most common cause of rectal injury:
- Barium enema:
- Perforation occurs in 0.04% patients
- Up to 35% mortality
- Colonoscopy:
- 0.2% perforation rate
- Increased risk with polypectomy
- Hemorrhoidectomy
- Urologic and OB/GYN procedures:
- Episiotomy
- Barium enema:
Pediatric Considerations
- Rectal injury may result from thermometer insertion
- Any rectal trauma in young children should raise the suspicion of nonaccidental trauma
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Citation
Schaider, Jeffrey J., et al., editors. "Rectal Trauma." 5-Minute Emergency Consult, 6th ed., Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2020. Emergency Central, emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307403/all/Rectal_Trauma.
Rectal Trauma. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, et al, eds. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307403/all/Rectal_Trauma. Accessed January 22, 2025.
Rectal Trauma. (2020). In Schaider, J. J., Barkin, R. M., Hayden, S. R., Wolfe, R. E., Barkin, A. Z., Shayne, P., & Rosen, P. (Eds.), 5-Minute Emergency Consult (6th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307403/all/Rectal_Trauma
Rectal Trauma [Internet]. In: Schaider JJJ, Barkin RMR, Hayden SRS, Wolfe RER, Barkin AZA, Shayne PP, Rosen PP, editors. 5-Minute Emergency Consult. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2020. [cited 2025 January 22]. Available from: https://emergency.unboundmedicine.com/emergency/view/5-Minute_Emergency_Consult/307403/all/Rectal_Trauma.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
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T1 - Rectal Trauma
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ED - Hayden,Stephen R,
ED - Wolfe,Richard E,
BT - 5-Minute Emergency Consult
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