Via practica 2/2022

Current diagnostics and treatment of urethral strictures

Urethral stricture is fundamentally a fibrosis of the urethral epithelial and associated corpus spongiosum which in turn, causes obstruction of the urethral lumen. In general, the etiology of stricture is categorized into iatrogenic, idiopathic, traumatic, congenital, and inflammatory causes. Most of the symptoms related to urethral stricture are thought to be directly related to this decrease in urethral caliber. Routine diagnostic evaluation encompasses history, physical examination, uroflowmetry, postvoid residual measurement, endoscopy, and urethrography. Accurate diagnosis and categorization of stricture is important in determining therapy. Management of urethral strictures is complex, and a multitude of techniques are available. Repeated endoluminal treatments are not always curative and not every surgical correction is suitable for every type of stricture. A significant proportion of patients with urethral stricture will experience significant complications requiring emergent urological care.

Keywords: urethral stricture, etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, therapy, prevention