Cowper's syringocele in the pediatric population: a retrospective study of 122 patients.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Syringocele is a rare cystic dilatation of the duct of Cowper's gland, afflicting mostly the pediatric population. Syringoceles have a wide range of symptoms and may cause urethral obstruction. The authors analyzed to clarify the clinical manifestation, diagnostic approach, management, and incidence in the pediatric population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients (122 cases) diagnosed with a syringocele at the department of Pediatric Urology in a tertiary referral university children's hospital between August 1991 and October 2016 were analyzed retrospectively by assessing medical charts. RESULTS: The clinical manifestation, diagnostic findings, and follow-up are summarized in the table. Half of the patients (50.0%) also had typical posterior urethral valves (PUVs) and/or a single valve in the 12 o'clock position (flap-valve). The symptoms of open and closed syringoceles showed no significant difference. Treatment consisted of incision of the syringocele with a diathermia hook. The incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) before and after surgery in the group that had a syringocele only was significant different. The overall incidence of syringoceles seen at urethrocystoscopy in this series was 3.0%. DISCUSSION: This series suggests that the presenting age is strongly related to the consequences of syringoceles, as the youngest half of the patients had significantly more UTIs at presentation than older patients, who presented with significantly more obstructive voiding symptoms, postvoiding residuals, and incontinence. In addition, the younger group had a significantly higher incidence of vesicoureteral reflux and dilatation of the upper urinary tract. The found association between syringoceles and PUV may be due to overgrowth of epithelium, as possible origin in both anomalies. CONCLUSION: With an incidence of 3.0%, syringoceles, in this tertiary referral series, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of obstructive urethral lesions. The presentation ranges between signs of severe obstructions in the prenatal and postnatal period to mild urinary incontinence problems at later age. Urethrocystoscopy proved to be useful in confirming the diagnosis and allows for immediate transurethral incision.

Detrusorectomy for neuropathic bladder in patients with spinal dysraphism.

PURPOSE: We assess the outcome of detrusorectomy in 35 patients with spina bifida who were incontinent due to poor bladder volume or poor compliance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 51 patients requiring bladder augmentation 35 underwent detrusorectomy. In 3 patients ileocystoplasty was later performed as a secondary procedure because of failure of the detrusorectomy. RESULTS: A total of 35 patients (17 males, 18 females) underwent detrusorectomy. Mean patient age at operation was 9.9 years (range 0.4 to 17.8). Mean followup was 4.9 years (range 1 to 10.5). A continent catheterizable vesicostomy was constructed in 14 patients and ureteral reimplantation was performed in 8. Twenty-five patients also underwent sling and/or Burch cystourethropexy during detrusorectomy, of whom 19 are continent and 5 have some leakage between clean intermittent catheterizations. In 1 girl the sling procedure was not successful, and she was subsequently treated with bladder neck closure. Bladder compliance after operation was improved in 9 cases and unchanged in 10. Of the 16 patients in whom compliance was already acceptable before the operation and was unchanged after detrusorectomy 7 were able to stop antimuscarinic therapy. Compliance became poor in 4 cases, of which 3 required ileocystoplasty. Bladder volume (as a percentage of normal volume for age) was increased after detrusorectomy in 13 patients, unchanged in 11 and decreased in 11. Complications of detrusorectomy included bladder leakage in 2 cases. One patient needed a laparotomy because of urinary ascites shortly after the operation. CONCLUSIONS: Detrusorectomy may be combined with other procedures such as ureteral reimplantation, slingplasty and continent vesicostomy. Of 35 treated patients compliance improved in 16 (46%),volume improved in 13 (37%), 3 had no change in parameters, and 3 had a slight decrease in volume and compliance. Four patients had poor results, of whom 3 needed a secondary ileocystoplasty. Therefore, it may be concluded that detrusorectomy is a safe and probably useful procedure for improvement of bladder volume and compliance in patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction, and may obviate the need for ileocystoplasty in a limited number of patients.