Early experience with hyaluronic Acid instillation to assist with visual internal urethrotomy for urethral stricture

The clinical usefulness of hyaluronic acid (HA) instillation during visual internal urethrotomy (VIU) for decreasing the incidence of recurrent urethral stricture was assessed.

Twenty-eight patients were treated by VIU with HA instillation between May 2007 and June 2009. After insertion of a Foley catheter following urethrotomy, HA was instilled via an 18-gauge tube catheter between the urethral lumen and Foley catheter. Seventeen cases were analyzed retrospectively 12 months postoperatively. We evaluated the success rate of this procedure by comparing retrograde urethrography (RGU) results, maximum flow rates, and postvoid residual urine volumes preoperatively and 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Success was defined as either a maximum flow rate of at least 15 ml/s or no visible urethral stricture on RGU at 12 months postoperatively.

Total success rates were 76.5% (13/17) and 52.9% (9/17) at 3 and 12 months postoperatively, respectively. By etiology, success rates at 3 and 12 months postoperatively, respectively, were 66.7% and 33.3% for inflammation, 66.7% and 50.0% for trauma, and 83.3% and 66.7% for unknown causes. Success rates were 63.6% for strictures less than 10 mm in length and 33.3% for strictures of 10 mm or more in length at 12 months postoperatively. Success rates were 61.5% for single strictures and 25% for multiple strictures at 12 months postoperatively.

The success rate of VIU with HA instillation was not better than that observed in the literature for conventional VIU.