Urinary urgency after traumatic brain injury

BMJ Case Rep. 2025 Oct 13;18(10):e266916. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2025-266916.

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in paediatric patients can lead to various neurological and functional impairments, including urinary urgency and incontinence. This case study describes a young child who sustained a TBI after a fall from a second-storey window, resulting in a depressed skull fracture in the left frontal region and associated subarachnoid haemorrhage. Surgical intervention was required to stabilise the skull fracture and mitigate haemorrhage. Despite normal cognitive and speech abilities post-injury, the patient developed urinary urgency and incontinence during the recovery phase, which persisted intermittently over 2 years. Management of the incontinence involved intensive behavioural strategies, such as reinstating toilet training and addressing urinary tract infections, with symptoms largely resolving over the 2-year follow-up period. This case underscores the relationship between frontal TBI and bladder dysfunction in paediatric patients and emphasises the need for additional incontinence training and monitoring in young children following frontal TBI events.

Keywords: Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Paediatrics.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidental Falls
  • Brain Injuries, Traumatic* / complications
  • Child
  • Humans
  • Skull Fractures* / complications
  • Skull Fractures* / surgery
  • Urinary Incontinence, Urge* / etiology
  • Urinary Incontinence, Urge* / therapy