[Urethral stricture. A history. From antiquity to the 18th century]

Long undistinguished from the other causes of lower urinary tract obstruction, stenosis of the urethra was truly individualized only in the XVIIIth century. Throughout this long history, treatment opposed repeated dilatations, capable of maintaining an acceptable urethral caliber, and methods aimed at directly destroying the stenosis, thereby ensuring permanent recovery.