Pneumoperitoneum Caused by Gangrenous Cystitis: An Unusual Presentation

¹Elbakouri Abdelillah,²Elmkhalet Majda,³Zalarh Fadoua,⁴Bouali Ichrak,⁵Ettaoussi Abdelhak,⁶Kamal Khadija,⁷Majd Abdessamad,⁸Bouali Mounir,⁹El Hattabi Khalid

^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}Department of General Surgery, Ibn Rochd Hospital, Hassan II University, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tarik Ibn Ziad Street, Casablanca, Morocco

DOI: 10.58806/ijhmr.2026.v5i3n11

ABSTRACT

Pneumoperitoneum is most often associated with gastrointestinal perforation, but rare extra-digestive causes exist. Gangrenous cystitis is a severe and uncommon bladder infection that can exceptionally lead to pneumoperitoneum.
We report a case of pneumoperitoneum secondary to gangrenous cystitis in a 31-year-old patient initially hospitalized for dorso-lumbar trauma. The postoperative course was complicated by a severe urinary tract infection. One month later, abdominal computed tomography revealed pneumoperitoneum with a thickened, heterogeneous bladder wall suggestive of gangrenous cystitis. Emergency surgical exploration showed a necrotic, gangrenous bladder without any gastrointestinal perforation.
Gangrenous cystitis can rarely present with pneumoperitoneum and mimic gastrointestinal perforation. Early recognition and prompt surgical management are crucial for patient recovery.

KEYWORDS

Pneumoperitoneum – Gangrenous cystitis – Bladder perforation – Complicated urinary tract infection

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Cite this article :

Abdelillah, E., Majda, E., Fadoua, Z., Ichrak, B., Abdelhak, E., Khadija, K., Abdessamad, M., Mounir, B., & Khalid, E. H. (2026). Pneumoperitoneum Caused by Gangrenous Cystitis: An Unusual Presentation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HEALTH & MEDICAL RESEARCH, 5(3), 245-248. https://doi.org/10.58806/ijhmr.2026.v5i3n11