Management of bulbar urethral strictures: review of current practice

Male urethral stricture disease is one of the common conditions encountered in the day-to-day urological practice. It can present at any age and has a wide range of etiological factors including infection, trauma and instrumentation. It usually manifests itself as lower urinary tract symptoms or urinary tract infections with significant impairment in the quality of life. There are several treatment options for this condition and these mainly depend on the site, length, the underlying cause and previous treatment. The management of bulbar urethral strictures has greatly evolved over the last few decades with more patients being offered reconstructive surgical operations as a primary treatment option. This article provides an overview on the management of bulbar urethral strictures and the wide range of surgical procedures offered to the patients.