Female urethral diverticula: double-balloon catheter study.

A double-balloon catheter was used to evaluate the female urethra in 51 patients. Six different radiographic appearances were identified. Three of the categories are considered variants of normal. One of the categories consisted of eight patients with urethral diverticula. All showed large rounded or lobulated collections of contrast material which were adjacent to the urethra and which persisted on postvoid films. Other abnormalities should be closely correlated with the clinical findings to determine their significance. The diagnosis of urethral diverticulum may be missed, as physical examination and endoscopy can be negative. Therefore, the optimal method for identifying its presence and extent includes both a double-balloon catheter study and a voiding cystourethrogram.