Andrew Siegel MD 5/29/2021
UROlogy or UFOlogy: Sometimes There’s Not Much of a Difference
The words “urology” and “ufology” differ by only one letter, and the letters “f” and “r” are structurally similar. Ufology concerns unidentified flying objects, whereas urology concerns the urinary tract—seemingly disparate disciplines, but at times convergent, the topic of today’s entry.
u·fol·o·gy
/yo͞oˈfäləjē/
- the study of UFOs.
u·rol·o·gy
/yo͝oˈräləjē/
- the branch of medicine and physiology concerned with the function and disorders of the urinary system.
Although unidentified objects are most commonly seen in the sky, sometimes they are found at sea level, and at times within the confines of the human body. The urethral opening of the urinary tract provides ready access to foreign bodies, and every now and then urologists are confronted with a patient who has placed an object within the urethra that gets stuck within the lower urinary tract. Although not always the case, a major psychological/psychiatric issue is commonly found to be one of the contributing factors.
Many foreign bodies are inserted for erotic self-gratification or sexual curiosity, often while under the influence of alcohol. On occasion, an impacted foreign body is found to have been inserted by a partner during sex play or as a result of a physical assault or sexual abuse. Urinary tract foreign bodies may also result from urinary tract instrumentation by urologists, penetrating trauma, and rarely from an intra-uterine contraceptive devices or pessary that migrates and erodes from the genital tract into the urinary tract. On rare occasions, even patients who have had their bladder removed and their urine diverted into a piece of intestine that is brought out to the skin are found to have inserted foreign bodies into this intestinal conduit or reservoir.
When I was a urology resident at U Penn in Philadelphia many moons ago we had a “frequent flyer” to the emergency room who was a mentally disturbed young man who often showed up with hardware in his urethra. He lubricated his urethra with olive oil and then used a chopstick to push metal nuts and bolts deeply into his urethra, where they became embedded and had to be surgically removed.
Foreign bodies have been found in the urinary tracts of children and adults of both genders, although adult males are the predominant demographic. The problem is not necessarily the insertion of a foreign body, but the situation that arises when it cannot be retrieved and remains lodged within the urinary tract. Urinary tract foreign bodies cause a variety of symptoms, including pelvic pain, burning with urination, frequent urinating, urinary infection, inability to urinate and blood in the urine. It is common for patients who have inserted foreign bodies that have become embedded within the urinary tract to be reluctant to present for medical care because of the embarrassing nature of the problem thus causing treatment delays.
A great variety of objects have been retrieved from the urethra and/or urinary bladder, including ballpoint pens, lead pencils, pencil erasers, eyelid pencils, Q-tips, coils of metallic wire, charging cables, paper clips, thermometers, chopsticks, bullets, pins, nuts and bolts, straws, stones, magnetic beads, plastic toys, chicken bones, IUDs and pessaries. Broken components of endoscopic instruments, pieces of catheters, stents, calcified sutures, and surgical clips have also been implicated.
(Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay)
X-ray imaging can detect foreign bodies that are radiopaque (visible on an X-ray), while ultrasonography or CT is can detect foreign bodies that are radiolucent (not visible on an X-ray). Cystoscopy–using a tiny lighted instrument to view the lower urinary tract– is the most accurate means of further evaluation. If the foreign body is hanging out of the urethra, at times simple traction can be used to remove it after appropriate imaging to ensure that the foreign body is not coiled within the urethra or bladder. If the foreign body is entrapped within the lower urinary tract, treatment requires careful removal of the foreign body. Urologists have sophisticated tools and the skillset in minimally-invasive endoscopy to be able to remove most of these foreign bodies endoscopically with only the rare necessity for open surgical procedures. The specific procedure is determined by the characteristics of the foreign body—its size, shape, and mobility as well as the specific location within the urinary tract.
Bottom Line: The self-insertion of foreign bodies into the urethra is an uncommon, but well-documented practice occurring mainly during pathological masturbation, intoxication, or secondary to psychological disturbances. A wide variety of objects have been implicated. Occasionally, foreign bodies are found on the basis of migration/ erosion into the urinary tract, penetrating trauma, or as the result of retained pieces of catheters or instruments used during urological surgery.
Wishing you the best of health and a safe Memorial Day weekend,
A new blog is posted weekly. To receive a free subscription with delivery to your email inbox visit the following link and click on “email subscription”: www.HealthDoc13.WordPress.com
Dr. Andrew Siegel is a physician and urological surgeon who is board-certified in urology as well as in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School and is a Castle Connolly Top Doctor New York Metro Area, Inside Jersey Top Doctor and Inside Jersey Top Doctor for Women’s Health. His mission is to “bridge the gap” between the public and the medical community. He is a urologist at New Jersey Urology, the largest urology practice in the United States. He is the co-founder of PelvicRx and Private Gym. His latest book is Prostate Cancer 20/20: A Practical Guide to Understanding Management Options for Patients and Their Families.
Video trailer for Prostate Cancer 20/20
Preview of Prostate Cancer 20/20
Andrew Siegel MD Amazon author page
PROSTATE CANCER 20/20 is now available at Audible, iTunes and Amazon as an audiobook read by the author (just over 6 hours).
Dr. Siegel’s other books:
PROMISCUOUS EATING— Understanding and Ending Our Self-Destructive Relationship with Food
MALE PELVIC FITNESS: Optimizing Sexual and Urinary Health
THE KEGEL FIX: Recharging Female Pelvic, Sexual, and Urinary Health
Tags: Andrew Siegel MD, foreign bodies in urinary tract, UFOlogy, urology
Our Greatest Wealth Is Health 
Leave a Reply