[Ultrasonography in syringocele of the male urethra (ultrasound-urethrography)]

Abstract

The authors have studied 5 patients with syringocele--or cystic dilatation of the excretory ducts in Cowper's glands--using a 7.5 MHz linear high-definition US probe. The urethra was distended with a saline solution introduced through a small Foley's balloon catheter placed in the navicular fossa. Longitudinal and transverse scans were employed at both the penis and the perineal region. The syringocele appears on US scans as a tubular image at the bulbous urethra, parallel to the urethral canal, with a "double tube" appearance. It is easily differentiated from urethral stenosis, while it may be confused with congenital urethral duplication, which is extremely uncommon. US with a small-part probe can be considered an useful imaging technique and a valid alternative to conventional radiology, especially in young patients, to avoid high dose exposure.