[Prolapse of the urethra in black girls. Personal experience in 11 cases].

The author describes 11 cases of prolapse of the urethral meatus observed in black girls between January 1987 and July 1993 first in Gabon (n = 7) and subsequently in Niger (n = 4). All patients were under the age of 10 years. The revealing symptom was vulvar bleeding (n = 8) or blood in urine (n = 2). In the remaining case prolapse was discovered incidentally. In all cases diagnosis was achieved by physical examination revealing a soft mass that bled on contact. Treatment consisted in surgical resection which was always followed by an uneventful recovery. This experience confirms a predisposition to this uncommon disorder in black children in whom the incidence is probably underestimated. The clinical presentation is consistently the same and the mass can be mistaken for a malignant tumor or for injuries related to sexual abuse. The results of this study demonstrate that the treatment of choice for prolapse of the urethra is surgical resection which is simple, safe, and immediately and lastingly effective.