Synchronous melanosis of upper and lower urinary tract

Ahmad N Alzubaidi; Stephen Sekoulopoulos; Alexander Birk; Jonathan T Pham; Erik Washburn; John J Knoedler

doi:10.1016/j.eucr.2022.102309

Synchronous melanosis of upper and lower urinary tract

Urol Case Rep. 2022 Dec 29:46:102309. doi: 10.1016/j.eucr.2022.102309. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Ahmad N Alzubaidi¹, Stephen Sekoulopoulos², Alexander Birk¹, Jonathan T Pham², Erik Washburn³, John J Knoedler¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
² Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.
³ Department of Pathology, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA.

Abstract

Urothelial melanosis is an exceptionally rare diagnosis, with less than 25 cases being reported in the literature. Melanosis of the urothelium is characterized by abnormal melanin deposition within tissues, producing a black, velvety appearance to the urothelial mucosa. We present a 67-year-old male undergoing cystoscopy during a routine percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL), who was found to have diffuse bladder melanosis extending up the ureter and into the renal pelvis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of synchronous melanosis of upper and lower urinary tract.

Keywords: Bladder melanosis; Cystoscopy; Percutaneous nephrolithotomy; Upper tract.

Publication types

Case Reports