Two Girls With Urethral Duplication

Voiding cysto-urethrography of complete urethral duplication in a child, a case report

Background

Urethral duplication is a very uncommon congenital anomaly that predominantly affects males. This condition is distinguished by the presence of two urethras, which might be incomplete or complete. The diagnosis of urethral duplication is very important, and missing this diagnosis leads to the delayed surgical correction of patients. Voiding cysto-urethrography is an important diagnostic method to diagnose the urethral duplication that can provide a standard view for surgical operation and determine the type of duplication.

Case presentation

In the present study, we report a 5-year-old boy with complete urethral duplication diagnosed via voiding cysto-urethrography in our medical center. We reviewed the classification of this anomaly, indications of surgery, the importance of voiding cysto-urethrography, and the role of other imaging modalities to diagnose the urethral duplication.

Conclusion

For children with a double urinary stream, a complete genital examination and radiological assessment are required not only to diagnose urethral duplication but also to determine the kind of urethral duplication and rule out related anomalies. These findings guide surgeons in planning the best treatment for the patients to prevent future complications. Voiding cysto-urethrography is one of the most useful and beneficial procedures to diagnose the urethral duplication which can be used as a first imaging modality, especially when there are double functional urethras.

Urethral duplication in girls: Three cases associating an accessory epispadiac urethra and a main hypospadiac urethra

INTRODUCTION

Urethral duplication is extremely rare in girls, with less than 40 cases reported so far. Most of them present as a prepubic sinus. Literature is scare regarding aetiology, classification and management in other forms. This study presents three cases of sagittal urethral duplication in girls presenting a main hypospadiac urethra and an accessory epispadiac urethra.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Medical records were retrospectively reviewed of three girls with urethral duplication managed over a 30-year period at a single institution. Circumstances of diagnosis, management and outcomes were analysed.

RESULTS

The oldest case presented as a neonatal retrovesical mass with an accessory clitoral stream, whereas the two more recent cases presented with antenatal hydrocolpos and bilateral ureterohydronephrosis. Cases 1 and 3 had an incomplete duplication, while Case 2 had a complete form. In Case 3, the duplication was associated with a urogenital sinus and an anteriorly placed anus. Management involved resection of the epispadiac accessory urethra to achieve continence, with dilatation and/or mobilisation of the hypospadiac one. All girls are now aged >5 years old and are continent, and one is old enough to have normal menstruation. Renal function is normal in all. The summary table presents the schematic anatomical description as shown on micturating cystourethrogram and endoscopy, as well as the management for each patient.

DISCUSSION

Step-by-step management is necessary in urethral duplication. The neonatal emergency is to release the urinary tract compression by evacuating urinary retention or hydrocolpos. Later in infancy, decision has to be taken regarding the urethras. If the resection of the epispadiac accessory urethra seems acceptable to achieve continence, the attitude towards the hypospadiac channel is more controversial and should be individualised. Embryologic and aetiopathogenic pathways are still missing to uniformly characterise the malformation.

CONCLUSION

Paediatric urologists should remember that there is a wide spectrum of urethral duplication in girls, and that various presentations exist beside the more classic prepubic sinus.

Rare association in a female DSD case of phallus, accessory phallic urethra, perineal lipoma and anterior ectopic anus

Disorders of sex differentiation (DSD) are a heterogeneous and broad spectrum group of diseases with a varied appearance. Presence of an accessory phallus with a phallic urethra in association with a normal vagina in a female is an extremely uncommon anomaly. We present a rare case of a genotypically female child with a normal urethra and vagina in association with a phallus, accessory phallic urethra, perineal lipoma and anterior ectopic anus.

Female double urethra: a case report

Female double urethra is a very rare anomaly, with less than 40 cases reported since 1970. Most reported cases of double urethra are in the sagittal plane and tend to be stenotic. We describe a 4-year-old girl with double urethra, which was not stenotic and was in the coronal plane. Double urethra should be excluded among other causes in any girl who is incontinent beyond the continence age.

Urethral duplication: a rare cause of urinary incontinence in a female child

Female urethral duplication is a rare congenital anomaly. We report a case of complete urethral duplication along with horseshoe kidney in a four-years-old female child presenting with incontinence since childhood.

Urethral duplication: cases of ventral and dorsal complete duplication and review of the literature

Urethral duplication is a rare congenital anomaly, with multiple described anatomical variants. Duplications in the sagittal plane can be complete or partial, dorsal or ventral, and may be associated with other congenital urogenital anomalies. The anatomy of the duplication should be defined, and the functional urethra identified prior to any corrective surgical intervention. Correction aims to restore normal cosmesis, provide functional voiding and maintain continence. We describe two cases of urethral duplication in the sagittal plane, outline our approach to surgical correction, and review the literature.