Case report: paravesical suture granuloma resembling bladder carcinoma on CT scanning

Paravesical granuloma formation is a rare complication of inguinal herniorrhaphy. Infected non-absorbable suture material is the usual cause. We present a case of paravesical granuloma that was initially thought to be bladder carcinoma both clinically and on CT scanning. The patient presented with urinary symptoms. Repeated biopsies revealed only reactive changes with no evidence of malignancy. CT showed a mass which appeared to arise from the anterior aspect of the bladder with a central area of low attenuation. The diagnosis was established at cystoscopy with deep resection of the mass, when two retained silk stitches with surrounding pus and granulation tissue was found. The diagnosis of paravesical suture granuloma (PSG) should be considered in patients with suprapubic symptoms, no haematuria, an atypical mass and a history of herniorrhaphy, which may have been many years prior to the time of presentation.