[An improved guide for urethral bougies]

A routine-technique urethral bougienage using an elastic guide in marked urethral strictures is performed practically at random in view of great difficulties of the guide advance through the narrow part of the urethra which is not safe for urethral tissues. An atraumatic guide developed by the authors is radio-opaque. This makes it possible to bring it along the urethra to the bladder under the control of x-ray television and to avoid damage to the tissues. The guide was used in 9 patients with urethral strictures who failed bougienage attempted by conventional methods. Not only the results were positive, but also there were no complications such as urethrorrhagia, false urethral passages and urethral fever.