Preoperative CT voiding cystourethrography using 16-multidetector CT in female urethral diverticulum

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Diagnostic Imaging
• Female Pelvic Medicine

Background:

• Female urethral diverticula are rare congenital or acquired conditions.
• Accurate preoperative localization of diverticular ostia is crucial for successful surgical management.
• Traditional diagnostic methods like cystourethroscopy may have limitations in identifying all ostia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical utility of 16-multidetector computed tomography (CT) voiding cystourethrography (CT-VCUG) for preoperative evaluation of female urethral diverticula.
• To compare the diagnostic accuracy of CT-VCUG with cystourethroscopy and surgical findings.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 15 female patients undergoing urethral diverticulectomy.
• Preoperative CT-VCUG was performed on all patients.
• CT-VCUG findings were retrospectively reviewed and compared with intraoperative surgical findings and preoperative cystourethroscopy results.

Main Results:

• CT-VCUG successfully detected the ostia of urethral diverticula in all 14 analyzed patients (100%).
• Cystourethroscopy identified ostia in only 10 patients (71.4%).
• Surgical findings correlated well with CT-VCUG findings, confirming its accuracy in locating ostia and characterizing diverticula shape.

Conclusions:

• Preoperative CT-VCUG is a valuable tool for identifying the ostia of female urethral diverticula.
• This imaging modality provides essential structural information that aids in surgical strategy development for urethral diverticulectomy.
• CT-VCUG demonstrates higher sensitivity than cystourethroscopy for ostia detection.