A 24-year-old patient with paraplegia and acquired urethral diverticulum: a case report

Acquired Urethral Diverticulum After Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate: A Case Report

Acquired urethral diverticula (UD) in males is an uncommon entity, and it is rarely reported after an open simple prostatectomy or transurethral resection of the prostate. Here, we report a unique case of a UD presenting after holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in a 69-year-old male with a prostate of 372 g who had five episodes of urine retention over one year despite combined medical treatment with tamsulosin 0.8 mg and finasteride 5 mg. The patient also has elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) with five negative prostate biopsies over the last few years. The procedure lasted six hours with difficult morcellation due to beach balls that took 3.5 hours. There were no intraoperative complications. However, he continued to have mixed urine incontinence and recurrent (six) episodes of urinary tract infection (UTI) in the first postoperative year. On evaluation, his urodynamic study did not reproduce stress urinary incontinence (SUI); however, cystoscopy and retrograde urethrogram diagnosed a 6-cm UD in the bulbar penile urethra with penoscrotal mass. The patient underwent urethral diverticulectomy and urethroplasty with a buccal mucosa graft to correct the defect. Six months after his urethral reconstruction, he continued to have mixed urine incontinence needing two pads/day. Although male UD is a rare condition, our case report seeks to heighten awareness of such a potential rare complication in men with recurrent UTIs and refractory urinary incontinence after prolonged HoLEP for extremely large prostates.

Urinary catheterization from benefits to hapless situations and a call for preventive measures

Catheter-associated complications are common, expensive, and often preventable by reducing unnecessary catheter usage. These complications range from most common nosocomial infection to uncommon conditions such as urethral diverticula and ischemic necrosis of the penis. Often, removal of a single known essential cause may be sufficient to prevent a disease. This review raises issues associated with urinary catheterization and emphasizes on the need of preventive measures a physician should take to reduce disappointing situations. The main objective of this literature review is to intercept or oppose unwanted catheter use and thereby, the disease processes associated with urinary catheterization. There is well-described literature available on catheter-associated urinary tract infection, but little is known about noninfectious complications resulting from catheter use; therefore, we also tried to draw attention on these unusual complications.

Urethroscrotal Fistula: A Rare Cause of Scrotal Swelling

Background

Urethroscrotal fistula (USF) is an abnormal communication between the urethra and the scrotum. This rare abnormality may be iatrogenic or secondary to perforation of the urethra by a stone. After the passage of urine to the scrotum through the fistula, painless scrotal swelling develops, which disappears completely with manual compression, and voiding can be maintained in this way. Retrograde urethrography (RU) and voiding cystourethrography (VCU) are traditional diagnostic methods, but they have limitations, such as technical difficulties and inability to evaluate the surrounding tissues. Multidetector CT (MDCT), together with reformatted images, can provide valuable information about the surrounding tissues and associated pathologies.

Case Report

We present a case of a 36-year-old male patient who had painless scrotal swelling after cystolithotomy and urethral stone surgery. The patient indicated that the swelling disappeared after manual compression. A fistula between the bulbous urethra and the scrotum was discovered by MDCT. In our case, we believe that the fistula developed iatrogenically during stone excision or secondary to perforation of the urethra by a stone.

Conclusions

As a rare pathology, urethroscrotal fistula should be considered in men with a history of urethral stone surgery and symptoms, including painless scrotal swelling, which can be manually compressed after voiding.

Acquired male urethral diverticula: presentation, diagnosis and management

PURPOSE

We describe the etiology, presentation, treatment and outcomes of men diagnosed with an acquired urethral diverticulum.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the records of men with an acquired urethral diverticulum in an 11-year period (2000 to 2011) at a tertiary care reconstructive practice. Patient demographics, history, presentation, anatomical details such as diverticulum size and location, management and outcomes were recorded. Technical success was defined as unobstructed urination without urinary tract infection.

RESULTS

A total of 22 men with an acquired urethral diverticulum were included in analysis. Median age at presentation was 48.5 years (range 18 to 86). Most commonly, patients presented with recurrent urinary tract infection, urinary dribbling, incontinence or a weak urinary stream. Of the 22 men 12 (54.5%) underwent urethral diverticulectomy and urethroplasty, 3 (13.5%) underwent ileal conduit urinary diversion and 7 (32%) were treated nonoperatively. Select cases were managed conservatively when the urethral diverticulum was confirmed in a nonobstructed urethra, it was small or asymptomatic and it could be manually emptied after voiding. At a mean followup of 2.3 years there was a 91% urethral diverticulum recurrence-free rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Acquired male urethral diverticula are rare but should be considered when there is recurrent urinary tract infection, obstructive voiding symptoms, a history of hypospadias, urethral stricture or trauma, or prolonged urethral catheterization. Treatment options may include surgical excision of the urethral diverticulum or urinary diversion. Some patients may be adequately treated nonoperatively with post-void manual decompression.