Impassable urethral strictures: percutaneous transvesical catheterization and balloon dilatation

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Impassable urethral strictures pose significant challenges for urologists.
• Standard treatments like dilatation and internal urethrotomy are often ineffective.
• Open urethroplasty is typically the required surgical intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel antegrade technique for catheterizing and dilating impassable urethral strictures.
• To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous transvesical antegrade catheterization and balloon dilatation.

Main Methods:

• The study involved six patients with impassable urethral strictures.
• A percutaneous transvesical antegrade catheterization approach was employed.
• Balloon dilatation was used to manage the strictures.

Main Results:

• The antegrade technique successfully traversed and dilated the impassable urethral strictures in all six patients.
• The procedure proved beneficial for patients experiencing bladder outlet obstruction.

Conclusions:

• Percutaneous transvesical antegrade catheterization and balloon dilatation offer a viable and beneficial option for managing impassable urethral strictures.
• This technique provides an alternative to open urethroplasty for selected patients.