20/08/2026
Timely X-rays could make it faster to identify people who have had a bladder injury after breaking their pelvis, new research suggests.
This would mean they could be quickly referred to a urologist for treatment, as well as saving them from having more invasive tests.
Orthopaedic specialists from Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust , MFT Research and Innovation and The University of Manchester Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health carried out the study using records from 600 patients treated at two local trauma centres. Their investigation showed that when X-rays identified leaking of fluid from a vein into the surrounding tissue (extravasation), this strongly correlated with bladder injury. X-rays within 10 hours of a CT scan were more reliable.
The work has been published in the journal Injury. NCA’s authors were Elgenaid Ahmed, Syed Hassan, Vijaya Kempanna, Inder Gill and Mohammed Iqbal.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2026.113272