Urethral length in girls with lower urinary tract symptoms and forme fruste of female epispadias.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate systematically the length of the urethra in girls with lower urinary tract symptoms.


METHODS
In a group of 121 consecutive girls presented at a tertiary referral clinic for urinary incontinence or recurrent urinary tract infections, urethral length was measured by perineal ultrasound. The urethra was measured with the patient in supine position without anesthesia. Mean age of the patients was 7.8 (0-15) years.


RESULTS
Average urethral length was 26 mm. Minimum length was 12 mm, measured in a 5-year-old girl with dribbling incontinence. Maximum measured length was 40 mm in a 15-year-old girl. In four girls (3.3%), aged 1-10 years (mean 6.3), a short urethra was detected, with measured lengths of 12 and 14 mm. All four had normal genitalia, and were referred with therapy-resistant urinary incontinence or urinary tract infections. A gradual increase in average urethral length was measured from 23 mm at birth to 32 mm at 15 years.


CONCLUSIONS
Urethral length can be measured accurately by ultrasound. Although a short urethral length is rarely detected by ultrasound in girls with incontinence, it may be associated with therapy-resistant incontinence. In such cases, different treatment options are available.
Hirdes
Meike M C
MM
Pediatric Renal Center, University Children's Hospitals UMC Utrecht and AMC Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
de Jong
Tom P V M
TP
Dik
Pieter
P
Vijverberg
Marianne A W
MA
Chrzan
Rafal
R
Klijn
Aart J
AJ
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004842:Epispadias / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009929:Organ Size; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014521:Urethra / Q000473:pathology*; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000473:pathology*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000473:pathology*