Urethral Polyp In Women - What To Do And How To Treat?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Urethral polyp in women - what to do and how to treat?

Content:

• Symptoms of a urethral polyp in women
• Causes of urethral polyp in women
• Why are urethral polyps dangerous?
• Treatment of urethral polyps in women
• Which doctor should I go to?

Urethral polyp is a benign lesion located on the inner surface of the urethra. The tumor develops from the epithelial layer of the canal wall. Its consistency is soft, subject to the process of vascularization, and therefore it often bleeds. The urethral polyp has a leg, its shape can be round or teardrop, the color is deep red. In case of injury or infection of the formation, its surface is transformed from smooth to ulcerated.

According to statistics, such formations make up no more than 4% of all tumors of the urogenital area in women. In the male population, urethral polyps are not diagnosed so often, which is due to the peculiarities of its structure. In women, the urethra is much shorter than in men and does not exceed 50 mm in length. The average age at which polyps in this area are diagnosed is between 50 and 70 years.

Symptoms of a urethral polyp in women

As for the clinical picture, there are practically no signs of a tumor in the early stages of its development.

As education grows, a woman may begin to experience the following symptoms:

• Difficulty urinating. The woman begins to experience a burning sensation and itching while trying to empty.
• The imperative urge to empty the bladder at night leads to a violation of the rest period.
• During the process of urination, the stream of urine may deviate in one direction or another, depending on where the polyp is located.
• A woman may suffer from partial urinary incontinence. That is, it is released during a strong cough, when the organ is full, when laughing.
• In the secreted fluid, blood can be seen, which is due to the fact that polypous growths have their own blood vessels. The surface of the tumor is easily injured and begins to bleed. Allocations can be both single and constant, with an abundant release of blood.
• Infravesical obstruction is another sign of polyposis growth in a woman's urethra. In the initial stages, the muscle thickens, and urine is expelled due to the increased pressure. As the compensatory properties of the muscle are lost, and the tumor continues to grow, the walls of the bladder itself, the ureters and the renal pelvis stretch. As a result, pyelonephritis develops, which requires immediate medical attention.
• During intimacy, a woman may experience painful sensations, and after her blood appears from the urethra.

• With the addition of ascending cystitis, each attempt at emptying will cause pain, urination becomes more frequent, purulent discharge from the canal may appear. The urine itself becomes dark in color (in the presence of blood impurities) and an unpleasant odor (in case of a purulent infection).

However, such symptoms occur only when the tumor reaches an impressive size. When it is small, the diagnosis is quite problematic, since the polyp does not give practically any symptoms.

Causes of urethral polyp in women

There are certain factors that can trigger the growth of education, among them:

• Prolonged chronic urethritis, in which the walls of the canal that excrete urine become inflamed. The inflamed tissue tends to suppress the pathological process by increasing its own area and begins to grow, as a result of which a tumor forms.
• Hormonal disorder of the functioning of the ovaries.
• Disorders in the endocrine gland, progressive diabetes mellitus.
• Cervicitis and colpitis, in which the leucorrhoea secreted contributes to the constant irritation of the woman's urethra.
• Injury to the blood vessels of the urethra. They can be obtained during examination or treatment of the bladder, due to chronic constipation, during childbirth.
• Sexually transmitted infections. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, ureaplasmosis, trichomoniasis, genital herpes can provoke the formation of a polyp. Human papillomavirus infection often becomes a provocateur of growths.
• Hormonal changes occurring in a woman's body as she ages. In this case, we are talking about menopause and postmenopausal period. Therefore, an indirect factor influencing the possible growth of education is the age over 50.
• Pelvic fractures and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can be a prerequisite for tumor growth.

Why are urethral polyps dangerous?

If we ignore the polyposis growth in the urethra, then this poses a certain danger to the health of a woman.

The risks are as follows:

• Development of hematuria. Moreover, both micro- and macrohematuria can occur. Constant blood loss can lead to the development of anemia. In addition, tamponade of the urinary tract by a blood clot may occur. In this case, the patient will need emergency medical attention.
• Development of cystitis. The presence of a pathological formation in the urethra makes the bladder more vulnerable and susceptible to various infections.
• Development of pyelonephritis. The disease can begin as a result of infection along the ascending pathway into the kidneys. This occurs against the background of cystitis, or against the background of stagnant urine due to the impossibility of emptying.
• Bladder obstruction, which manifests itself in the inability to empty the bladder, since the polyp completely blocks the urinary canal.
• Malignancy of education. Tumor degeneration occurs quite rarely, however, such a danger cannot be ruled out. Therefore, regardless of the size of the existing formation, it must be removed.

Treatment of urethral polyps in women

There is no conservative treatment for a polyp located in a woman's urethra. Therefore, if such a formation is found, surgical intervention is necessary. There are several ways to remove a tumor from a woman's body.

Cryodestruction

This method of removal is based on the impact on the tumor with low temperatures. If it is located on the outside of the canal, then the use of a urethroscope is not required.

The procedure does not require the introduction of general anesthesia, only local anesthesia is sufficient. As a rule, surgery does not take more than 10 minutes. During the cooling process, the liquid in the tumor turns into ice, the vital activity of the cells is disrupted, and it dies.

Among the advantages of this method of getting rid of a urethral polyp:

1. The necrotic area does not bleed.
2. There will be no scars or scars at the site of the polyp attachment, which will not lead to problems with urination in the future.
3. The procedure is painless and does not require general anesthesia.
4. No stitches are required at the treatment site.
5. After the intervention, hospitalization is not required.

Electrocoagulation

This method of getting rid of a urethral polyp is based on the use of electric current. At the same time, the doctor is able to control the depth of exposure, which avoids injury to healthy tissues. The procedure does not require the introduction of the patient into a state of general anesthesia, as it is practically painless.

However, this method of removing polyposis growths cannot be used if there are bleeding disorders, the formation is large or malignant. In the presence of an inflammatory process in the body, it must first be eliminated.

Radio wave method of removing education

In this case, the formation is affected by radio wave radiation, which contributes to the destruction of pathological tissues. Polypoid growth is removed in layers, which minimizes the risk of damage to healthy tissue. After such an intervention, there are also no scars and scars, and the recovery period is significantly reduced.

Wedge-shaped excision of education

This procedure is appropriate for use if the education is of impressive size. After excision, several stitches will be required. The operation requires the introduction of general anesthesia. A woman will need to spend a maximum of 2 days in the hospital. The operation itself is short in time and does not take more than 20 minutes.

During the procedure, a triangle-shaped section of the outer canal opening will be removed. Together with this site, the tumor is eliminated. Self-absorbable sutures are used for fixation. A drain is inserted into the bladder for the next 24 hours. The removed tissues are sent for further histological examination, which will determine the presence of atypical cells. If there is a risk of narrowing the urethra, doctors perform its expansion using special bougie.

After the operation, it will take some time to adhere to a special diet. It consists in excluding from food products that irritate the urethral mucosa. Therefore, it is worth giving up sour, salty, spicy foods and drinks. Alcohol is completely prohibited.

Which doctor should I go to?

Regardless of the location of the polyposis growth in the woman's urethra, it must be promptly removed. After the surgery has been performed, a regular examination by a urologist is necessary. You should see your doctor at least once every six months. This must be done in order to prevent recurrence of the disease.

If polypous growth was provoked by existing infectious diseases, then it is necessary to get rid of them, otherwise it will not be possible to achieve stable remission. Treatment is prescribed only by a doctor, based on the etiology of the infection. As a rule, the prognosis for recovery is favorable if the tumor has been excised in a radical way. This gives an unequivocal guarantee that the woman will not have a relapse in the future.

As for other preventive measures, it should be regularly observed not only by the urologist, but also by the gynecologist. Timely getting rid of infections and normalizing hormonal levels is a guarantee that polypous growths in the urethra will not reappear. It is equally important to avoid injury to the urethra and to use a condom during intercourse.

Author of the article: Lebedev Andrey Sergeevich | Urologist

Education: Diploma in the specialty "Andrology" received after completing residency at the Department of Endoscopic Urology of the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education in the urological center of the Central Clinical Hospital No. 1 of JSC Russian Railways (2007). Postgraduate studies were completed here by 2010.