Papillary adenomas of prostatic urethra with ultrastructural histogenetic considerations

Benign urethral lesions are rather uncommon, and relatively few cases have been described in the literature. Malignant neoplasms, such as squamous and transitional cell carcinomas, occur more frequently. The latter usually present as papillary lesions. Specifically, papillary adenomas of the prostatic urethra are very unusual and rare lesions. They are usually seen in children but occasionally are found in the adult. Symptoms include urinary obstruction, infection, enuresis, sexual disturbances, or hematuria. Two cases of papillary adenomas are presented in this article. The lesion is important because it can be a source of significant hematuria, but can be cured easily at cystoscopy by local excision. This article describes the electron microscopic findings in two of these tumors, trying to elucidate their histogenesis and nature. No ultrastructural studies of these lesions have been reported previously.