Departments of 1Pediatric Surgery, 2Radiology, and 3Neonatology, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis,

Rupture of the bladder in the neonatal period followed by urinary ascites is rare and usually the result of umbilical artery catheterization. Patients may present with abdominal distension, oliguria or anuria, and signs of renal insufficiency. We present a case of urinary ascites in a premature neonate due to a spontaneous rupture of the bladder, and we discuss the pathogenesis, diagnosis and management of this case. Key words: urinary ascites, rupture of the bladder, neonate. Urinary ascites due to the rupture of the bladder in the neonatal period is rare and only a few cases have been described in the literature1. The majority are the results of umbilical arterial catheterization causing rupture of the dome of the bladder or of a patent urachus. The posterior urethral valves in male neonates and the congenital diverticulum of the bladde