Acute urinary retention due to a large prostatic cyst (Mullerian-duct-cyst)

Introduction: Acute urinary retention is not rare in elderly men. In the ma jority of cases it is caused by obstruction of the lower urinary tract, e.g . due to BPH, carcinoma of the prostate or neurogenic bladder dysfunction. Urological and radiological examination usually leads to an accurate diagno sis and effective therapy concept. Case report: We describe a rare case in which acute urinary retention was t he first clinical sign of a large prostatic cyst, a remnant of the Mulleria n duct in a 65-year-old man. Embryogenesis, incidence, comorbidity and poss ible therapy options are discussed. Sonography revealed a 15 x 20 cm pelvic cyst that could be removed completely by median transperitoneal laparatomy . Conclusions: A Mullerian duct cyst is a rare entity. Surgical therapy of a prostatic cyst is indicated by the occurrence of obstructive or infectious symptoms. Uroradiological examinations including CT and MRI reveal the exac t extent and location of a prostatic cystic mass and facilitate the operati ve approach.