Patient Characteristics and Perioperative Outcomes of Female Urethral Diverticulectomy: Analysis of a Multi-Institutional Prospective Database

Characterization of Urethral Diverticula in Women

OBJECTIVE

Urethral diverticulum is a rare, yet important condition for the female pelvic surgeon. We aimed to characterize the women who have been seen for this condition across the three Mayo Clinic locations.

METHODS

Medical record review was performed for patients across all three Mayo Clinic sites (Rochester, Arizona, Florida) that had International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, (ICD-9) and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, (ICD-10) codes corresponding to urethral diverticulum (ICD-9, 599.2; ICD-10, N36.1). We also performed a review of patients who underwent urethral diverticulectomy via Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 53235. Data were available for patients from June 1, 2003, to October 5, 2018. Patients were classified by age, etiology, presenting symptomatology, location, treatment, pathology, and postoperative outcomes.

RESULTS

Four hundred forty-seven women met initial coding criteria for urethral diverticula, with 228 women having documented urethral diverticula. The most common presentations were irritative voiding symptoms (93) and infections (92). The most common diagnostic modality was radiographic imaging (198/228) with magnetic resonance imaging accounting for 157 cases. Etiology was unknown in the majority of cases (181/228). Of women who were diagnosed, 172 underwent diverticulectomy with 51 concurrent urethral sling placements. Final pathology demonstrated 2 cases of malignancy. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 0 months to 15 years (mean, 1.4 years; median, 4 months). Forty-three patients had persistent urinary symptoms after diverticulectomy with stress incontinence being the most common. Eight patients underwent subsequent sling placement. Fourteen patients had recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

This appears to be the largest reported series on female urethral diverticula, a rare yet important entity that requires special consideration. Most surgical cases found resolution of symptoms after diverticulectomy. Importantly, less than 2% of urethral diverticula were associated with malignancy.

Risk factors of postoperative sexual function in patients with urethral diverticulum and their partners: A cohort study of 83 women

Introduction and Objective:

Several studies have focused on the treatment and recurrence of urethral diverticulum (UD). However, few investigations have addressed sexual function in patients with UD. Therefore, we sought to examine sexual function in women affected by UD.

Materials and Methods:

There were 108 accepted cases involving transvaginal diverticulectomy at our institution. Ultimately, 83 women were included for further analysis, only 61 of these women had sexual partners. We collected data for the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) from the female patients and the Male Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ) from their male partners before and after surgery.

Results:

Preoperatively, the UD size affected the female patient's arousal and lubrication (p=0.04), and the UD location affected their satisfaction. However, no significant between-group differences were found in the total FSFI score. For all women, sexual activity improved after surgery (p=0.0087). In addition to improvements in arousal for women with a large UD, improvements in lubrication were affected by the UD size, number and shape, increases in satisfaction scores were impacted by the UD location and shape, and pain relief was linked to the UD number and shape. Analysis of the MSHQ results revealed no between-group differences among the male partners.

Conclusion:

Only the UD size and location affected sexual function in women with a small UD. Surgery could improve female sexual function but did not affect the sexual function of the patient's partners.

Urethral diverticula in women

Female urethral diverticula are rare, benign epithelium-lined outpouchings of the female urethra. Patients can present with a multitude of symptoms, most commonly urinary incontinence, recurrent UTIs and dyspareunia. These presenting symptoms are often confused with other diagnoses leading to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Diagnosis and preoperative assessment of bladder function is most accurate using a combination of clinical examination, T2-weighted postvoid MRI and videocystometrography. Best treatment is by vaginal excision, a procedure with a very low recurrence rate and high patient acceptability. Excision also results in high cure rates for associated dyspareunia, UTI and voiding dysfunction. Pre-existing urodynamically proven stress urinary incontinence (USUI) resolves in 50% of patients after excision of the diverticulum with Martius labial fat pad interposition without the need for further treatment. Potential adverse effects after surgery are new-onset USUI, urethrovaginal fistula and urethral stricture. The rate of onset of these potential adverse effects is low and related to the preoperative appearance of the diverticulum on an MRI scan and the complexity of the diverticulum.