Delayed Diagnosis of an Intraurethral Foreign Body Causing Urosepsis and Penile Necrosis

Cases of self-inserted foreign bodies in the male urethra and urinary bladder are unusual. In most cases, the type of foreign body can be identified by taking a history or from radiological findings; sometimes, however, it is difficult to identify the foreign body because of decreased mental capacity of the patient or unknown radiological characteristics of the foreign body. We experienced a chronic alcoholic patient with septicemia and penile necrosis in whom a fragment of mirror glass had passed through the urethra into the bladder. The glass, 2 cm in length and 0.7 cm in diameter, was detected by cystoscopy and was removed by using a resectosope.

Below:  (A) Follow-up CT shows a newly detected hyperdense lesion inside the bladder. (B) Cystoscopy shows an intravesical 2×0.7 cm glass particle.

Below:  A necrotic lesion of the penile glans

Below:  Abdominal computerized tomography (CT). (A) CT was suggestive of a right retroperitoneal abscess, and (B) a needle-like radiopaque lesion between the rectum and bladder.

Read more at:  http://ht.ly/ScTbY 

By:  Eu Chang Hwang, Jun Seok Kim, Seung Il Jung, Chang Min Im, Bu Hyeon Yun, Dong Deuk Kwon, Kwangsung Park,Soo Bang Ryu, and Jun Eul Hwang1
1Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.