Urethral calculus with a recurrent acute urinary retention in a male child aged 11 years: A case report

Urolithiasis is the presence of a stone anywhere in the urinary tract, it is commonly seen in adult patients and rare in children, especially when it is associated with acute urinary retention. In children, history is not suggestive and not specific; diagnosis is made by exclusion, and imaging studies often get the findings as incidental. In this case, the clinical presentation made early diagnosis quite difficult. The management of urethral calculi varies according to the site, size, associated urethral pathology, and available resources. It becomes an emergency when it causes acute urinary obstruction, urethral bleeding, or pain. We present a case report of an 11-year-old male with a history of 3 episodes of acute urinary retention secondary to urethral obstruction by calculi. The period between 1 episode and the next was observed to be approximately 1 year, with no logical explanation. Urethral calculus in children is less frequent than in adults worldwide. Urethral calculi are either formed in the native urethra or migrate from the upper urinary tract. Urgent urinary diversion and removal of the calculus with minimal urethral trauma is the recommended treatment.