The spectrum of injuries in buttock stab wounds

Abstract

Buttock stab wounds are a surprisingly common and increasing source of presentations to emergency departments. These injuries can have a significant impact on quality of life, and there are a number of often subtle, but significant, injuries that the radiologist must be alert to when interpreting computed tomography examinations in these patients. In this review, we will examine briefly the sociological reasons for the increase in these injuries, discuss appropriate imaging techniques, and provide imaging examples of the clinically important injuries that may be encountered in this region. These injuries include rectal or colonic perforation; genito-urinary trauma, for example urethral injury; injury to the sciatic nerve; and a spectrum of vascular trauma including transection and pseudoaneurysm or arteriovenous fistula formation.