Hematospermia secondary to urethral varices: An underrecognized clinical entity
Main Article Content
Abstract
Hematospermia, the presence of red blood cells in semen, has various causes, with urethral varices being a rare and under-researched etiology. This study investigated 54 males presenting with hematospermia and subsequently diagnosed with urethral varices via retrograde urethroscopy. The mean age of the patients was 48 ± 11.11 years old. The most common symptom was hematuria after sexual intercourse, occurring in 90.7% of cases. The average duration of symptoms was 17.46 months. The most common location of varices was between the 4 and 8 o’clock positions (81.5%) and around the external urethral sphincter (90.7%). Patients who received a diagnosis more than six months after symptom onset experienced a significantly higher frequency of symptom recurrence within one month compared to those diagnosed earlier (p = 0.01). These findings suggest that urethral varices should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hematospermia, especially in patients with persistent symptoms and post-coital hematuria, and that early endoscopic evaluation may help reduce symptom recurrence.
Article Details
Keywords
Hematospermia, hematuria, urethral varices, urethrocystoscopy
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