Treatment of male urethral calculi

We treated 14 male patients for urethral stones during a 17-year interval. The calculi were located in the posterior urethra in 7 patients and in the anterior urethra in 7. Anatomical alteration of the lower urinary tract was an important predisposing factor, since 11 patients had history of bladder and urethral surgery or disease, 2 had an associated neurogenic bladder, 6 had urethral strictures or diverticula and 3 had concomitant bladder stones. Urethroplasty was performed in 5 cases, surgical removal of the stone in 3, retrograde manipulation inside the bladder in 4 and electrohydraulic endourethral lithotripsy in 2. The latter technique appears to be particularly effective for endoscopically accessible stones.