Conservative management of urethral prolapse in African girls: a report of 15 cases

Abstract Background Urethral prolapse is a rare disease, mainly occurring in African prepubertal girls. Its etiology remains unclear; however, some risk factors have been reported. The diagnosis is made clinically. The treatment can be conservative or surgical. Methods We report our experience in the service of pediatric surgery at Albert Royer National Children’s Hospital Centre. We conducted a retrospective descriptive cross-sectional study, on which considered patients were managed for urethral prolapse in our service from 2014 to 2019. Results Our study has included 15 girls whose mean age was 4.08 years (1.17–10). Two risk factors (chronic cough and constipation) were found in 20%. Genital hemorrhage was the main symptom (73.3%), and suspicion of sexual abuse was documented in 13.3%. The clinical finding was classical (donut-shaped vulvar mass) in all patients. All patients underwent conservative management, which was successful in 73.3%. Patients with failed conservative management were treated surgically by resection of the prolapsed mucosa on a Foley catheter. No complication was reported after surgical treatment, and after a 13-month mean follow-up, no recurrence was reported in all patients. Conclusions Conservative management is an efficient option for urethral prolapse. It has the advantage of avoiding general anesthesia with its potential complications and restricted availability in sub-Saharan Africa. Surgical management should be reserved for failed conservative management.