Holmium Laser En Bloc Resection of Urethral Polyps in Children: A Case Series.

Abstract

Background: Urethral fibroepithelial polyps (FEPs) are scarce benign mesodermal tumors arising mainly from the posterior urethra in boys. FEPs are rarely reported in girls. There is no consensus regarding their etiology; however, some authors attribute their presence to abnormal mesodermal involution. FEPs have different clinical presentations, including acute urinary retention (AUR), difficult micturition, hematuria, and recurrent urinary tract infection in addition to interlabial mass in girls. Radiologic studies are usually insufficient for diagnosis. Cystourethroscopy and histopathologic examination are considered the diagnostic tool of choice. In this report, we introduce Holmium Laser En Bloc Resection of Urethral Polyp (HoLERUP) as an alternative technique to conventional and en bloc electric resection. Case Presentation: Three boys with benign urethral polyps (UPs) presented with AUR, difficult micturition, and hematuria. The diagnosis of UP was confirmed by means of cystourethroscopy. HoLERUP was carried out for all three of them and histopathologic examination revealed FEP in two cases and an inflammatory polyp in the third. Conclusion: UPs should be considered in the differential diagnosis of children presenting with AUR, difficult micturition, and hematuria. HoLERUP overcomes the limitations of conventional resection and can be performed when en bloc electric resection is not feasible.