Pneumaturia is the passage of gas

Gas

Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...

 or "air" in urine

Urine

Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

. This may be seen or described as "bubbles in the urine".

Causes

A common cause of pneumaturia is vesico-colic fistulae (communications between the colon and bladder). These may occur as a complication of diverticular disease.

Other key differentials:

• Crohn's disease
  Crohn's disease
  Crohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
  
  
• Carcinoma
  Carcinoma
  Carcinoma is the medical term for the most common type of cancer occurring in humans. Put simply, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that generally arises from cells originating in the endodermal or ectodermal germ layer during...
  
   of the colon
  Colon (anatomy)
  The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a...
  
   or bladder
  Urinary bladder
  The urinary bladder is the organ that collects urine excreted by the kidneys before disposal by urination. A hollow muscular, and distensible organ, the bladder sits on the pelvic floor...
  
  
• A gas-producing UTI
  Urinary tract infection
  A urinary tract infection is a bacterial infection that affects any part of the urinary tract. Symptoms include frequent feeling and/or need to urinate, pain during urination, and cloudy urine. The main causal agent is Escherichia coli...
  
   (emphysematous cystitis: rare).

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is made with the help of ct scan, which shows the inflammatory diverticular mass. It should be followed by sigmoidoscopy to rule out cancer.