Diagnosis and treatment of urethral prolapse in children.

OBJECTIVES: To review published reports on urethral prolapse in the pediatric population, with a focus on diagnosis and management, and to do a retrospective review of 20 cases of urethral prolapse at an urban hospital.

METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 20 consecutive cases of urethral prolapse in the pediatric population at Kings County Hospital was done. A review of the published reports on urethral prolapse from 1937 to the present was included in this study.

RESULTS: Twenty patients with urethral prolapse were treated at Kings County Hospital during a 10-year period. Patients were identified by perineal bleeding and diagnosed by physical examination. All patients were successfully treated by excision of the prolapsed urethral mucosa and suturing of the remaining mucosa to the vestibule.

CONCLUSIONS: Urethral prolapse is an uncommon entity that occurs primarily in prepubertal black girls. Patients may be successfully treated by excision of the prolapsed mucosa and suturing of the proximal urethra to the vestibule.