Urethral complications of urinary catheterization presenting as primary scrotal masses: Sonographic diagnosis

We report on 2 debilitated male patients who had penile urethral complications of transurethral catheter drainage. One patient had a urethral diverticulum, and the other had a Foley catheter misplaced through a urethral perforation. Both lesions mimicked primary intrascrotal masses on physical examination and were therefore evaluated by scrotal sonography. The correct diagnosis of each lesion required careful examination of the mass and its anatomic relationship to the adjacent urethra. Penile urethral complications of catheterization in debilitated patients must be included in the differential diagnosis of scrotal cystic masses. These cases also emphasize the necessity of a thorough sonographic examination that extends beyond the specific area of presumed clinical interest. Published 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.* J Clin Ultrasound 26:261–264, 1998. Published 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.1 This article is a U.S. Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.