Aim: To prospectively assess the prevalence of paraurethral cystic structures in asymptomatic adult women.
Patients and methods: One hundred and forty consecutive women undergoing endovaginal sonography with no history of lower urinary tract symptoms.
Results: Paraurethral cystic structures were identified in 4/140 subjects (2.9%). Ultrasound assessment allowed rapid definition of the site, size and vascularity of these lesions and was well tolerated by the patient.
Conclusion: This is the first prospective ultrasound study to determine the prevalence of paraurethral cystic structures in a large consecutive cohort of asymptomatic women. Our findings are in accordance with previously published post-mortem data and surgical series which have estimated the prevalence of paraurethral cystic structures to be between 1 and 6%.