Study justifies endoscopic urethrotomy as the initial treatment choice for urethral strictures

Austria: Results from a long-term population-based study confirm the suitability of endoscopic management as the initial treatment choice for appropriately selected patients with urethral stricture disease. The study, published in the BJU International suggests that the invasive re-treatment rate in men following initial urethrotomy is 22% within 8 years and lowest in the advanced age cohort.

The data provide real-world statistics on retreatment rates and average time to recurrence. Urologists should use these data to better counsel patients on the possible risks and benefits of urethrotomy. The study was limited by minimal information on the strictures — length and location.

Stephan Madersbacher, Department of Urology, Klinik Favoriten, Wien, Austria, and colleagues aimed to determine the long-term outcome of endoscopic urethrotomy for primary urethral strictures based on a population-based approach. 

For this purpose, they analyzed a nationwide database of all patients with urethral stricture disease who underwent endoscopic urethrotomy as a primary intervention between January 2006 and December 2007. They followed all the patients individually for 7–9 years. They documented frequencies and types of surgical re-interventions. Repeat surgical interventions were stratified into three treatment types: urethrotomy, urethroplasty, and end-to-end urethral anastomosis.