Painless penile periurethral polymicrobial abscess causing urinary retention

Arsalan Tariq; Adam G Stewart; Patrick E Teloken; Nigel T Dunglison; Benjamin F Martin; Matthew J Roberts

doi:10.1016/j.eucr.2022.102037

Painless penile periurethral polymicrobial abscess causing urinary retention

Urol Case Rep. 2022 Mar 1:42:102037. doi: 10.1016/j.eucr.2022.102037. eCollection 2022 May.

Authors

Arsalan Tariq^{1

2}, Adam G Stewart^{1

3

4}, Patrick E Teloken^{1

2}, Nigel T Dunglison^{1

2}, Benjamin F Martin^{1

2}, Matthew J Roberts^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
² Department of Urology, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
³ Department of Infectious Diseases, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁴ Antibiotic Resistance Research Group, Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁵ Prostate Theranostics and Urological Diseases Group, Centre for Clinical Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Abstract

In contemporary urological practice periurethral abscesses are rare. We report the case of a 61-year-old presenting with a painless penile mass and urinary retention. He underwent imaging with ultrasonography, targeted antibiotics and successful source control through open incision and drainage. He has been symptom, recurrence and complication free at 24 months post intervention. Risk factors for abscesses include obstruction, trauma, urethral diverticula and urethral carcinoma. Inadequate detection and treatment may lead to urethral fistulae, strictures and rarely, necrotizing fasciitis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a periurethral abscess presenting as a painless penile mass causing urinary retention.

Keywords: Penile mass; Periurethral abscess; Urethritis; Urinary tract infection.

Publication types

Case Reports