Cowper’s glands and ducts: radiological findings in children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe the radiological features of simple or dilated (syringocele) Cowper's ducts in a large paediatric population. Voiding cystourethrography procedures performed during the past 24 years were evaluated taking into special account urethral morphology. The procedures were performed to study all sorts of possible urinary affections. A total of 1,676 male children (age: newborn to 18 years) underwent 2,340 voiding cystourethrographies. Opacification of Cowper's ducts was observed in nine children (0.53%) - in six (0.35%) as a thin, radiopaque image running parallel to the inferior edge of the membranous-bulbar urethra and in three (0.18%) as a dilated structure (syringocele); this was a source of significant voiding problems. Opacification of Cowper's ducts - even if rare - has to be recognised as a possible anatomical finding during voiding cystourethrography in paediatric patients. An accessory finding devoid of pathological meaning in most cases, it can, however, be a possible cause of voiding disorders in some instances.