Pathophysiology and Management of Long-term Complications After Transvaginal Urethral Diverticulectomy

Female urethral diverticulum (UD) is a rare and benign condition that presents as an epithelium-lined outpouching of the urethra. It has various symptoms, of which incontinence in the form of postmicturition dribble is the most common. The gold standard for the diagnosis of UD is magnetic resonance imaging, and the treatment of choice is transvaginal diverticulectomy. Despite the high success rate of transvaginal diverticulectomy, postoperative complications such as de novo stress urinary incontinence (SUI), recurrence, urethrovaginal fistula, recurrent urinary tract infections, newly-onset urgency, and urethral stricture can occur. De novo SUI is thought to result from weakening of the anatomical support of the urethra and bladder neck or damage to the urethral sphincter mechanism during diverticulectomy. It can be managed conservatively or may require surgical treatment such as a pubovaginal sling, Burch colposuspension, or urethral bulking agent injection. Concomitant SUI can be managed by concurrent or staged anti-incontinence surgery. Recurrent UD may be a newly formed diverticulum or the result of a remnant diverticulum from the previous diverticulectomy. In cases of recurrent UD requiring surgical repair, placing a rectus fascia pubovaginal sling may be an effective method to improve the surgical outcome. Urethrovaginal fistula is a rare, but devastating complication after urethral diverticulectomy; applying a Martius flap during fistula repair may improve the likelihood of a successful result. Malignancies in UD are rarely reported, and anterior pelvic exenteration is the recommended management in such cases.

A Case of Congenital Urethrovaginal Fistula in a Female Child with Suspected Imperforate Hymen: A Case Report

Urethrovaginal fistula is an abnormal communication between the urethra and vagina. Urethrovaginal fistula results in urinary incontinence with urine continually leaking from the vagina. In children congenital anomaly may also be the cause. Congenital Urethrovaginal fistula is an extremely rare genitourinary anomaly. The reported five cases in the literature are all associated with urogenital abnormalities like vaginal septum, vaginal agenesis and imperforate hymen. We present a case of a 7-year-old female that was referred from a peripheral hospital for micturating cystourethrography (MCUG) on account of urinary incontinence and passage of urine from vaginal orifice. Following MCUG the urethra, proximal fistula between the urethra and vagina, distended urinary bladder, contrast opacified uterus and a fallopian tube were all demonstrated. We report this case because of its rarity in the literature.

Congenital Urethrovaginal Fistula with Blind-Ending Vagina in a Female Pseudohermaphrodite Dog with Urinary Incontinence

ABSTRACT An 8 mo old male Doberman pinscher was referred for investigation of persistent urinary incontinence. Physical examination revealed urine leakage and abnormal external genitalia. A computed tomography scan identified a large fluid-filled cavity extending from the caudoventral abdomen displacing the colon and urinary bladder. No retained testicles were identified. A retrograde urethrogram study found a linear communication, cranial to the pubic brim between the urethra to the fluid-filled cavity (fistula). Exploratory celiotomy was performed, and an entire female reproductive tract with a blind-ending vagina and a urethrovaginal fistula was found. En bloc gonad hysterectomy was performed, the fistula was transected, and a careful urethral reconstruction was performed. The urinary incontinence resolved immediately after surgery, and no complications were reported. Mild urinary incontinence recurred 4 days following patient discharge, and a urine bacterial culture was positive for Klebsiella spp. An antibiotic course was prescribed, and the incontinence fully resolved. Congenital urogenital abnormalities should always be considered in young animals presenting with urinary incontinence. Here, a young female pseudohermaphrodite dog with a naturally occurring congenital urethrovaginal fistula is described. Exploratory surgery was required for definitive diagnosis and surgical intervention yielded a good medium-term outcome with resolution of clinical signs.

Urethrovaginal fistula repair with or without concurrent fascial sling placement: A retrospective review

Introduction: We sought to review outcomes of urethrovaginal fistula (UVF) repair, with or without concurrent fascial sling placement. Methods: All patients diagnosed with UVF at our center from 1988–2017 were included in this study. Patient charts were reviewed from a prospectively kept fistula database, and patient characteristics and surgical outcomes were described. Descriptive statistics were applied to compare complication rates between patients with or without fascial sling placement at the time of UVF repair. Results: A total of 41 cases of UVF were identified, all of which underwent surgical repair. Median age at diagnosis was 49 years (interquartile range [IQR] 35–62). All patients had undergone pelvic surgery. UVF etiology was secondary to stress urinary incontinence (SUI) surgery in 17 patients (41%) and urethral diverticulum repair in seven patients (17%). The most common presenting symptom was continuous incontinence in 19 patients (46%). Nineteen patients had a fascial sling placed at the time of surgery (46%), with no significant difference in complication rates (26% vs. 23%, p=0.79). Two patients had Clavien-Dindo grade I complications (5%) and one had a grade III complication (2%). Four patients had long-term complications (10%), including urinary retention, chronic pain, and urethral stricture. Two patients had UVF recurrence (5%). Median followup after surgery was 21 months (IQR 4–72). Conclusions: UVF should be suspected in patients with continuous incontinence following a surgical procedure. Most UVF surgical repairs are successful and can be done with concurrent placement of a fascial sling.

Urogenital Fistulas and Female Urethral Diverticula

Urogenital fistulas are a group of conditions in which the urinary tract is apparently connected to another organ system. Causes of fistula range from congenital anomalies, malignancy, trauma, infection or inflammatory conditions, ischemia, parturition, and iatrogenic sources – including surgery and radiation. Signs and symptoms of urinary tract fistula are variable and depend on the organ system involved and the size of the fistula. For patients who are appropriate surgical candidates, elective surgical repair is the mainstay of treatment of urinary tract fistula. Surgical techniques can be complex, but rely on the same key concepts: adequate exposure of the fistula tract; careful dissection and separation of the tissue layers, while minimizing cautery; multi-layer closure; watertight closure of each layer; meticulous hemostasis to prevent hematoma formation, but preserve vascular supply of tissues; use of well-vascularized tissue flaps; tension-free, non-overlapping suture lines; biopsy of tissues concerning for malignancy. This review contains 6 figures, 5 tables, and 82 references. Keywords: urogenital fistula, female bladder, vesical fistula, urinary bladder fistula, vesicovaginal fistula, urethrovaginal fistula, vaginal fistula, urethral diverticulum, urethral diverticulectomy, female urethra