Urethral diverticulum in a male adolescent. Case report

Abstract

Introduction: congenital urethral diverticulum is a rare disease, due to obstructive or infectious processes of the urinary system. It is diagnosed in childhood, but in most cases it goes unnoticed until later in life. Retrograde voiding urethrocystography and cystoscopy are the study methods for its diagnosis.

Objective: to present the case of a male adolescent diagnosed with urethral diverticulum.

Case presentation: 14-year-old male patient, white, with a health history. He had severe pain in the left lumbar fossa, radiating to the left testicle. Hematuria was confirmed in the partial urinalysis. This picture was interpreted as a nephritic colic, for which he received treatment in the pediatric service; later, he reported post-void urinary incontinence and went to the urology service for diagnosis. After performing physical, laboratory, and imaging tests, a urethral diverticulum was diagnosed. The voiding urethrocystography showed an elongated saccular image (diverticulum) in the urethra, corroborated by cystoscopy.

Conclusions: the low frequency of presentation of urethral diverticula in males affects their late diagnosis, when damage to the upper urinary tract has already appeared. Hence, the patient's quality of life depends on timely diagnosis and early treatment. The exposed case provides scientific evidence on this condition