Pathologic Outcomes following Urethral Diverticulectomy in Women

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Pathology

Background:

• Urethral diverticula in women are uncommon but can rarely present with malignant changes.
• Limited data exists on the clinicopathologic findings of these rare entities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the clinicopathologic findings of women who underwent surgical resection of urethral diverticula.
• To evaluate the incidence of malignancy in female urethral diverticula.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 29 women who underwent urethral diverticulectomy between 1992 and 2013.
• Collection of clinical and radiographic data.
• Pathological slide rereview by a single urologic pathologist.

Main Results:

• The majority of cases (97%) demonstrated benign histology.
• The most common benign findings were inflammation (55%) and nephrogenic adenoma (21%).
• One case (3%) showed invasive adenocarcinoma on final pathology.

Conclusions:

• While most female urethral diverticula are benign, malignancy can occur.
• Understanding the low incidence of malignancy is crucial for patient counseling regarding treatment options.
• Benign findings like inflammation and nephrogenic adenoma are most frequently observed.