DIVERTICULUM OF THE FEMALE URETHRA

Diverticulum of the female urethra, although a relatively infrequent finding, in recent years has attracted increasing attention, and the number of patients seeking treatment has risen rapidly. Disorders of the female urethra are seen sometimes by the gynaecologist and sometimes by the urologist, but because the urethra is located in “no man’s land” neither of these special fields has given it much attention and abnormalities such as diverticula may pass unnoticed. Etiology Most urethral diverticuli are noted among parous women aged between 25-50 years, a fact which suggests that it is an acquired condition. Congenital diverticuli have been seen in infants (Johnson, 1938; McMahon, 1946; Parmenter, 1g41), but even in these cases inflammatory changes usually have been demonstrable in the glandular ducts of diverticular walls. It is probable that the infection originates in peri-urethral ducts situated like strands in the central and posterior parts of the urethra (Huffman, 1948; Tancer and Hyman, 1962). These glandular ducts are evidently highly susceptible to infection, friction and obstetric compression. The infected gland enlarges or breaks through and an abscess cavity forms in the potential urethrovaginal space. If the neck of the gland seals off, an acute suburethral abscess occurs and may develop into a cyst, or if the This investigation was supported by a grant from the Sigrid Jusklius Foundation, Helsinki.