Self-inflicted gunshot injury to the external genitalia: a case report and review of literature

The Epidemiology of Genitourinary Self-inflicted Injuries: Analysis of the National Trauma Databank

OBJECTIVE

To provide insight into the epidemiologic characteristics and trends of genitourinary (GU) self-inflicted injury (SII).

METHODS

We used data from the National Trauma Databank between 2017 and 2020. We described the characteristics of GU SII cases based on injured organ and then compared male and female injuries.

RESULTS

We identified 56,463 patients with SII, of which 1508 (2.7%) had GU involvement. Most cases were male patients (77.3%) and white (70.6%). Median age was 35 years (IQR 26-50). The most commonly injured GU organs were kidney (43.4%), followed by scrotum/testes (22.5%), and penis (18.2%). Most cases (89.9%) represented a single-organ injury whereas 10.1% had 2 or more GU organs injured. Seventy-three of those with kidney injuries (11.2%) underwent nephrectomy. Only 1 patient performing GU SII had a diagnosis code for transsexualism but the majority (82.2%) suffered from pre-existing conditions of which 20.5% had 3 or more comorbidities. More than half the population (54.9%) had preexisting diagnosed mental or personality disorder. A non-GU co-injury was present in most cases (70.8%), most commonly affecting another abdominal organ (44.3%) or fractures (41.3%). A positive drug screen was found in 30.7% of cases. Most patients survived though 15.4% died. Ninety-four percentage of fatal cases had a concomitant non-GU injury.

CONCLUSION

GU injuries account for 2.6% of all SII. These patients are often young white males with known mental or personality disorders. Kidneys were the most common injured and mortality was highest in cases of kidney and bladder injuries with multi-organ trauma involving non-GU organs.

Self-mutilation: a systematic review

Self-mutilation lesions can represent a clinical diagnosis challenge for healthcare professionals, as patients do not admit to self-mutilation. This leads to failed diagnoses due to the similarity of this condition to other diseases. Searches on the subject were carried out at the PubMed, Periódicos Capes, Scopus, Science Direct and WoS databases, according to the following inclusion criteria: articles in English, Portuguese or Spanish, published from 2018 to June 2023, encompassing case reports, case series and literature reviews. Men are slight more affected by self-mutilation injuries, also presenting the most serious lesions. Self-mutilation injuries are reported globally, mostly in the Asian and American continents. Clinical presentations are varied, but morphology is, in most cases, associated to the form/instrument used for self-mutilation. Greater evidence of diagnosed mental disorders in women and underreporting of these cases in men due to low demands for specialized treatment are noted. A higher prevalence of self-mutilation lesions was verified for men, affecting a wide age range, with the highest number of cases in the USA. The most affected body areas are arms and external genitalia, mostly due to knife use. An association between self-mutilation injuries and mental disorders is clear, with most cases being previously undiagnosed.

Scrotal self-inflicted gunshot injuries: report of two consecutive cases and literature review

Background

Isolated scrotal gunshot injuries are uncommon. Even more so when they are self-inflicted. The extent of the injury is determined by the caliber of the weapon. Established management protocols when followed yields excellent results.

Case presentations

We present two male patients, aged 41 and 51 years old, who sustained gunshot injuries to the scrotum following accidental discharges from hand guns stored in their trouser pockets. The first (41 years) sustained grade 5 American Association for Surgery of Trauma (AAST) left testicular injury and was managed by unilateral orchidectomy. The second (51 years old) sustained bilateral grade 4 AAST testicular injuries and had both testes salvaged by primary repair after meticulous debridement.

Conclusion

Isolated scrotal gunshot injuries can occur when low velocity guns are placed adjacent to the genitalia and accidentally discharged. The testes are endangered and can be devitalized requiring orchidectomy or salvaged by meticulous debridement and primary repair when viability is not compromised.