Thirty-four cases of rupture of the bladder due to blunt trauma of the abdomen are reviewed. Intraperitoneal rupture occurred in 41% of the patients: extraperitoneal rupture occurred in 59% of them. Thirty-five per cent of the patients with extraperitoneal bladder rupture sustained concomitant intraperitoneal visceral injuries. While repairing the extraperitoneal bladder rupture a routine laparotomy through a small incision over the linea semicireularis was helpful in discovering intraperitoneal injuries in patients previously assessed by the general surgery service and considered to be free of intraperitoneal pathology.