You are here: Urology Textbook > Urethra > Urethral caruncle

Urethral Caruncle: Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Definition

A urethral caruncle is a mucosal hyperplasia and prolapse of the female urethra, usually at 6 o'clock, with irritative symptoms. A circular urethral caruncle is also known as urethral prolapse.

**fig. urethral caruncle:** circular prolapse of the mucous membrane of the female urethra.
Do you want to see the illustration? Please support this website with a Steady membership. In return, you will get access to all images and eliminate the advertisements. Please note: some medical illustrations in urology can be disturbing, shocking, or disgusting for non-specialists. Click here for more information.

Etiology of Urethral Caruncle

Urethral caruncles are most commonly found in postmenopausal women. Additional risk factors are pelvic floor dysfunction and micturition with subvesical obstruction (abdominal straining).

Signs and Symptoms

A urethral caruncle is a pedunculated hemorrhagic mucosal tumor, usually at 6 o'clock. Furthermore, irritative voiding symptoms, bleeding, or local pain may be present.

Treatment of Urethral Caruncles

Conservative treatment includes warm sitz baths, topical (vaginal) estrogen therapy, and topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Verma et al., 2020). If surgery is necessary, the clamping of the caruncle allows easy handling. A circular incision of the mucosa is done at the base of the caruncle. The basis of the caruncle is ligated, and the caruncle is resected. The mucosa is adapted with 4-0 sutures.

**Fig. step by step circular resection of the urethral caruncle and readaptation of the mucosa.**
Do you want to see the illustration? Please support this website with a Steady membership. In return, you will get access to all images and eliminate the advertisements. Please note: some medical illustrations in urology can be disturbing, shocking, or disgusting for non-specialists. Click here for more information.

**Fig. result after circular resection of the urethral caruncle and readaptation of the mucosa.**
Do you want to see the illustration? Please support this website with a Steady membership. In return, you will get access to all images and eliminate the advertisements. Please note: some medical illustrations in urology can be disturbing, shocking, or disgusting for non-specialists. Click here for more information.

Non-gonococcal urethritis

Index

Urethral diseases

Index: 1–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

References

Park und Cho 2004 PARK, D. S. ; CHO, T. W.: Simple solution for urethral caruncle.
In: J Urol
172 (2004), Nr. 5 Pt 1, S. 1884–5

V. Verma and A. Pradhan, “Management of urethral caruncle - A systematic review of the current literature.,” Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol., vol. 248, pp. 5–8, 2020.

Deutsche Version: Harnröhrenkarunkel

Urology-Textbook.com – Choose the Ad-Free, Professional Resource

This website is designed for physicians and medical professionals. It presents diseases of the genital organs through detailed text and images. Some content may not be suitable for children or sensitive readers. Many illustrations are available exclusively to Steady members. Are you a physician and interested in supporting this project? Join Steady to unlock full access to all images and enjoy an ad-free experience. Try it free for 7 days—no obligation.