Radiology, Vol 168, 147-150, Copyright © 1988 by Radiological Society of North America

ARTICLES

Spinning top urethra: not a normal variant

HM Saxton, M Borzyskowski, AR Mundy and GC Vivian
Department of Radiology, Guy's Hospital, London, England.

Spinning top urethra (STU) is a term used to describe a widened posterior urethra seen mainly in girls. It is commonly regarded as a normal variant. The authors studied 30 girls with STU using videourodynamics. Twenty-eight showed bladder instability; 21, a congenital wide bladder neck anomaly; and 20, both instability and a wide bladder neck. One patient had a sensitive bladder. All patients had a urodynamic abnormality. The authors believe that the STU is nearly always an indication of bladder instability or wide bladder neck anomaly. The most common mechanism for the dilatation of the posterior urethra is that unstable contractions are resisted by a voluntary increase in distal sphincter tension so as to prevent leakage of urine. The resulting pressure rise produces distention of the posterior urethra, which will be maximal in subjects with a weak bladder neck mechanism as in the congenital wide bladder neck anomaly. The authors believe that STU is seldom if ever a normal variant.

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