Case Report
A Rare Interlabial Mass in a 9-Month-Old Infant: A Case Report and Review of Literature

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Abstract

Background

Interlabial masses in infants and children are quite rare. One of their rarest causes is urethral polyp or urethral caruncle. It is a benign fleshy outgrowth at the urethral meatus. Certain etiology is still unknown.

Case

A healthy 9-month-old female infant presented with a mass protruding from the vulva with no other complaints. Examination with the patient under general anesthesia revealed an interlabial mass appearing as a pedunculated pinkish polyp, originating from the posterior lip of the external urethral meatus. Surgical excision of the mass was done and histopathology confirmed it to be a urethral polyp.

Summary and Conclusion

Urethral polyps are rare in the pediatric age group. Their occurrence in this age group might support a congenital etiology. Surgical resection of polyps allows histopathological examination and a high cure rate with no risk of recurrence.

Introduction

Urethral caruncle, a rare pathology that can present as an interlabial mass, was first described in the middle of the 18th century by Samuel Sharp, as a fleshy outgrowth arising from the lower half of the posterior lip of the external urethral meatus. It more commonly occurs in postmenopausal women.1 Urethral polyp is equivalent to urethral caruncle in the pediatric age group.2 Only a few cases have been published in the literature. In this case report, we describe a rare case of a female infant with a urethral polyp, along with a review of the literature.

Section snippets

Case

The patient was a 9-month-old Egyptian infant brought by her mother to the outpatient clinic of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cairo University Hospital with a mass protruding from the vulva. The mother claimed that the mass was noticed since birth, reddish in color, protrudes on crying, with no history of bleeding and not affecting urination or defecation. According to the mother the mass had a stationary course. The infant was otherwise healthy with no abnormality.

On

Discussion

Interlabial masses in the pediatric age group are very rare. They might be of relevance to different specialties including pediatricians, pediatric surgeons, urologists, dermatologists, and gynecologists.3 Table 1 includes a list of the differential diagnoses of such masses, the most common of which are the hymenal cysts and paraurethral gland cysts.3

Urethral polyp is a benign fleshy outgrowth at the urethral meatus that can present as an interlabial mass. The lesion appears to be pinkish or

Summary and conclusion

Urethral polyps are rare in the pediatric age group. They are thought to be caused by estrogen deficiency and chronic inflammation. Its occurrence in the pediatric age group might also support a congenital etiology. They should be differentiated from other causes of interlabial masses by proper examination, which might require examination with the patient under general anesthesia. Surgical resection of polyps allows histopathological examination and a high cure rate with no risk of recurrence.

References (16)

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Cited by (1)

The authors indicate no conflicts of interest.

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