ABSTRACT
I. HISTORY In 1805, Hey reported the first case of a urethral diverticulum [1]. The condition was originally thought to be very uncommon, and an extensive review of 1950 medical records of Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic revealed only 100 cases [2]. In 1953, Novak wrote: “This is a relatively rare condition and no gynecologist will see more than a few in a life time” [3: 302]. However, in the next few years, technological advances allowed the diagnosis to be made more often. With the development of positive-pressure urethrography using a double-balloon catheter, in 1956 Davis and Cian reported 50 cases [4]. In the last half century, significant advances in imaging and treatment of urethral diverticula have beenmade. Now, a variety of diagnostic modalities exist, and effective surgical repair has been developed.
