Urethroplasty

Urethroplasty treats male urethral stricture disease: scar tissue that develops in the urethra and causes blockage to the flow of urine.

What Causes Urethral Stricture?

Inflammation and infections of the urethra, trauma to the genitals or perineum, and hypospadias are all common causes of strictures. Often the injury is subtle and there is no cause that can be determined.

Why a urethroplasty?

Dilations and treatments can be quicker and less invasive, but the success rate in the best of circumstances is less than 50% and often closer to zero. A patient utilizing these techniques will need to repeat them at regular intervals for the rest of his life. Urethroplasty has a long-term success rate (no additional procedures required) of 80 to 95% depending on the extent of the disease.

Urethroplasty is an open surgical reconstruction of the urethra. In its simplest form, it is an excision of the strictured segment and reapproximation of the two healthy ends of the urethra. Depending on the length and location of the stricture, at times we need additional tissue from other parts of the body to reconstruct a normal-caliber urethra.

Recovery

Urethroplasty is performed as an outpatient surgery or a single-overnight hospital stay. Depending on the type of procedure, a catheter will stay in place for no more than 3 weeks after the surgery. Normal daily activity is okay after the procedure, but a patient should not lift more than 10 pounds, engage in strenuous activity, or bike, ride horses, or ride a motorcycle for 3 weeks after surgery.