Urethral and paraurethral leiomyomas in the female patient

Abstract

Urethral leiomyomas in women arise from the smooth muscle of the urethra and are rare, benign urethral tumors seen primarily in women. We present three cases of urethral leiomyomas identified over a 30-year period at our institution. A 45-year old woman presented with a 1 year history of frequency, nocturia, and hesitancy and was found to have both a 2-cm proximal urethral and a 3-cm posterior bladder leiomyoma. She developed stress urinary incontinence postoperatively and was treated with a Burch colposuspension. A 33-year old woman with hematuria was found to have both a 3-cm urethral and a 3-cm paraurethral leiomyoma at the bladder neck. A 21-year old without urinary complaints was found to have a 3-cm leiomyoma at the urethral meatus. Urethral leiomyomas must be differentiated from paraurethral leiomyomas, which are often asymptomatic and may be removed without disrupting the urethral mucosa or smooth muscle. The removal of urethral myomas may be complicated by the development stress urinary incontinence or urethral stricture.