Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case

Urethral stone impaction (USI) is an extremely rare cause of acute urinary retention (AUR) in pediatric urology. Few case reports are available, and no consensus guidelines currently exist for managing this condition. We describe our management of such a case and provide a review of the relevant lit...

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Main Authors: Thibault Planchamp, Pierre Estournes, Adrien Boileau, Solène Joseph, Mathilde Piraprez, Florian Laclergerie, Luana Carfagna, Olivier Abbo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Georg Thieme Verlag KG 2025-01-01
Series:European Journal of Pediatric Surgery Reports
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Online Access:http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/a-2663-1933
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author Thibault Planchamp
Pierre Estournes
Adrien Boileau
Solène Joseph
Mathilde Piraprez
Florian Laclergerie
Luana Carfagna
Olivier Abbo
author_facet Thibault Planchamp
Pierre Estournes
Adrien Boileau
Solène Joseph
Mathilde Piraprez
Florian Laclergerie
Luana Carfagna
Olivier Abbo
author_sort Thibault Planchamp
collection DOAJ
description Urethral stone impaction (USI) is an extremely rare cause of acute urinary retention (AUR) in pediatric urology. Few case reports are available, and no consensus guidelines currently exist for managing this condition. We describe our management of such a case and provide a review of the relevant literature. A 4-year-old boy with no prior urological history presented to our emergency department with abdominal pain lasting 8 days. An ultrasound performed 5 days earlier identified a 7-mm stone at the ureterovesical junction. Symptomatic treatment with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was initiated. However, dysuria, painful penile swelling, and AUR developed 7 days after the onset of pain. A CT scan revealed bilateral hydronephrosis, urinary retention, and a 9-mm stone (980 Hounsfield Units) that had migrated to the proximal anterior urethra. Under general anesthesia, a suprapubic puncture removed 400 mL of urine for analysis. A 7.5-Fr cystoscope was used to identify an impacted stone at the base of the penile urethra. In situ lithotripsy was performed using a holmium laser to fragment the stone in the urethra. The fragments were then pushed into the bladder for complete disintegration. Intravesical fragments were subsequently removed with a Dormia basket. No urethral wounds were observed, and a 10-Fr catheter was placed. Recovery was uneventful, with catheter removal and spontaneous voiding on postoperative day 1. At the 3-month follow-up, the patient exhibited normal voiding and uroflowmetry. AUR secondary to USI is rare and lacks standardized management protocols in pediatric urology. Management of USI should be tailored to the size and location of the calculus, as well as the presence of any associated urethral pathology, with a preference for minimally invasive endoscopic surgery whenever possible. If necessary, urethral in situ laser lithotripsy appears to be a safe and effective treatment option to consider.
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spelling doaj-art-9bbcea7e41c146b3867a8862798a80852025-08-20T02:56:39ZengGeorg Thieme Verlag KGEuropean Journal of Pediatric Surgery Reports2194-76192194-76272025-01-011301e35e4010.1055/a-2663-1933Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare CaseThibault Planchamp0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8693-2866Pierre Estournes1Adrien Boileau2Solène Joseph3Mathilde Piraprez4Florian Laclergerie5Luana Carfagna6Olivier Abbo7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4202-4284Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hôpital des Enfants, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Urology, Hôpital de Rangueil, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Urology, Hôpital de Rangueil, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Hôpital des Enfants, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Hôpital des Enfants, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Urology, Hôpital de Rangueil, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Hôpital des Enfants, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceDepartment of Pediatric Surgery, Hôpital des Enfants, Toulouse, Occitanie, FranceUrethral stone impaction (USI) is an extremely rare cause of acute urinary retention (AUR) in pediatric urology. Few case reports are available, and no consensus guidelines currently exist for managing this condition. We describe our management of such a case and provide a review of the relevant literature. A 4-year-old boy with no prior urological history presented to our emergency department with abdominal pain lasting 8 days. An ultrasound performed 5 days earlier identified a 7-mm stone at the ureterovesical junction. Symptomatic treatment with paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was initiated. However, dysuria, painful penile swelling, and AUR developed 7 days after the onset of pain. A CT scan revealed bilateral hydronephrosis, urinary retention, and a 9-mm stone (980 Hounsfield Units) that had migrated to the proximal anterior urethra. Under general anesthesia, a suprapubic puncture removed 400 mL of urine for analysis. A 7.5-Fr cystoscope was used to identify an impacted stone at the base of the penile urethra. In situ lithotripsy was performed using a holmium laser to fragment the stone in the urethra. The fragments were then pushed into the bladder for complete disintegration. Intravesical fragments were subsequently removed with a Dormia basket. No urethral wounds were observed, and a 10-Fr catheter was placed. Recovery was uneventful, with catheter removal and spontaneous voiding on postoperative day 1. At the 3-month follow-up, the patient exhibited normal voiding and uroflowmetry. AUR secondary to USI is rare and lacks standardized management protocols in pediatric urology. Management of USI should be tailored to the size and location of the calculus, as well as the presence of any associated urethral pathology, with a preference for minimally invasive endoscopic surgery whenever possible. If necessary, urethral in situ laser lithotripsy appears to be a safe and effective treatment option to consider.http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/a-2663-1933urolithiasisurethral calculipediatric urologylaser lithotripsyendoscopy
spellingShingle Thibault Planchamp
Pierre Estournes
Adrien Boileau
Solène Joseph
Mathilde Piraprez
Florian Laclergerie
Luana Carfagna
Olivier Abbo
Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case
European Journal of Pediatric Surgery Reports
urolithiasis
urethral calculi
pediatric urology
laser lithotripsy
endoscopy
title Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case
title_full Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case
title_fullStr Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case
title_full_unstemmed Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case
title_short Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Urethral Lithiasis in a 4-Year-Old Boy: How We Managed This Rare Case
title_sort acute urinary retention secondary to urethral lithiasis in a 4 year old boy how we managed this rare case
topic urolithiasis
urethral calculi
pediatric urology
laser lithotripsy
endoscopy
url http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/a-2663-1933
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