Several treatment options are available for men with urethral strictures:
- Catheterization—A thin tube, called a catheter, can be inserted through the urethra into the bladder to drain the urine. This treatment option requires the catheter to be re-inserted on a regular basis.
- Dilation—A metal rod, or dilator, is inserted into the penis until it reaches the strictured area of the urethra. The dilator gradually stretches the strictured area open. This process usually involves periodic treatments with progressively larger dilators.
- Balloon Dilation—A balloon catheter is inserted into the urethra and inflated at the point of the stricture. This process usually involves periodic re-treatment with progressively larger balloons.
- Urethral stent—Men with recurring bulbar urethral strictures who do not wish to undergo surgery or are not good surgical candidates may find immediate relief from a urethral stent like the UroLume® Urethral Stent from AMS. The UroLume is a mesh tube that holds the urethra open at the point of obstruction. It not only relieves the obstruction, it also minimizes the recurrence of strictures. The stent is placed through the urethra in an outpatient procedure.
- Surgery—Two types of invasive surgery, which often require the use of general anesthesia, can be used to relieve recurrent urethral strictures. Urethrotomy involves cutting through the urethral tissue in an attempt to excise the stricture. Urethroplasty severs a section of the urethra in an attempt to remove the strictured area of the urethra. The two remaining sections of the urethra must then be surgically reconnected, and in some cases a skin graft also is required.
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