[Surgical treatment of urethral stricture. Personal view]

The author expressed his personal views on the indications, advantages and disadvantages of current techniques for the treatment of urethral stricture in men, such as: endoscopic urethrotomy, end-to-end anastomosis, prepuce or oral mucosa free grafts, penile or scrotal pedicled flaps, expansible metal stents and two-stage urethroplasties. Apart from his own personal experience, he bases his discussion on the pathophysiology of healing and, often old data of the literature concerning surgery of the urethra. He critically reviews recent developments: the posterior approach to urethral stricture and temporary stents. Finally, he presents two personal techniques: endoscopic urethroplasty with free graft around a biodegradable stent and the use of a pudendal fasciocutaneous flap to correct large perineal defects.