• Merck Manual
• >
• Patients & Caregivers
• >
• Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders
• >
• Symptoms of Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders
4

Passing gas (air) in the urine, a rare symptom, usually indicates an abnormal connection (fistula) between the urinary tract and the intestine, which normally contains gas. A fistula may be a complication of diverticulitis, other types of intestinal inflammation, an abscess, or cancer. A fistula between the bladder and the vagina may also cause gas to escape into the urine. Rarely, certain bacteria in the urine may produce gas.

Doctors do a pelvic examination in affected women. To diagnose fistulas, doctors may do cystoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or both and do imaging studies, such as CT, MRI, or ultrasonography.

Fistulas are usually repaired surgically.

Last full review/revision March 2007 by Ralph E. Cutler, MD