Zinner syndrome: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Objective To investigate the key issues of clinical diagnosis and treatment of Zinner syndrome and reduce the misdiagnosis rate. Methods Clinical data of 1 case of Zinner syndrome were retrospectively analyzed. Zinner syndrome cases presenting hematuria， frequent urination and dysuria as initial manifestations were retrieved from PubMed， CNKI， Wanfang Data and Chongqing VIP until November 2022 by using the searching words of Zinner syndrome， renal agenesis and seminal vesicle cyst. Clinical characteristics， developmental characteristics and treatment methods were summarized. Results The 46-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital because of “bladder space-occupying lesion for more than 8 years， hematuria with dysuria for 1 week”， and was diagnosed with Zinner syndrome by imaging examination. He successfully underwent “transurethral cystoscopy + transrectal pelvic mass puncture biopsy”， and was discharged from the hospital at postoperative 2 d. The patient was advised to continually receive anti-infection treatment after discharge. According to literature review， 16 cases of Zinner syndrome presenting with hematuria， dysuria and other urinary symptoms as the first manifestations were collected. All patients developed abnormalities in the urinary system by imaging examination. Surgical resection and puncture biopsy were the main treatment methods. Among 8 patients receiving follow-up， 7 cases did not recur， and 1 suspected recurrent case underwent puncture biopsy. Conclusions Zinner syndrome is mainly manifested with imaging characteristics of unilateral seminal vesicle cyst， ipsilateral renal agenesis and ipsilateral ejaculatory duct obstruction triad. Ultrasound， CT scan， and MRI are important diagnostic tools for Zinner syndrome. Laparoscopic seminal vesicle cystectomy can reduce the risk of recurrence.

Keywords

• zinner syndrome|seminal vesicle cyst|renal agenesis|residual ureter|urinary system