[Urethral prolapse in young black girls. Report of 12 cases].

While this benign tumor of female urethra is relatively rare, reported here are 12 cases of complete mucusa ectropion observed in female black girls. The cases were studied from January 1987 to May 1994, first in Gabon (7 cases) then in Niger (5 cases), all the cases concerned girls below 10 yrs old. The revealing symptom was vulvar bleeding (9 cases) or blood in the urine (2 cases). The remaining case was discovered incidentally. Diagnosis was done at the vue of a pinkish orange soft mass, found in the center of the meatic opening, and which frequently bled on contact. Treatment was exclusively surgical, consisting of a tumoral resection followed by success in all of the cases. This experience while insisting on the rareness of this tumoral illness, strongly suggests a possible predisposition in black girls, where the incidence is underestimated. A more certain diagnosis can be done after analysis of the histological aspects. Although the number of cases reported here is quite limited, the good quality of the results obtained by the treatment demonstrate the value of this surgical management, likewise, certain of its technical details are described in the article. Considering the relative simplicity of the technique, its rapid, long lasting efficiency, and the absence of post operative complications, the author concludes that surgical resection is the treatment of choice for the cure of this benign tumor.