Polyurethane stent for treatment of urethral strictures

The use of stents in the treatment of urethral strictures is offered as an alternative to repeated internal urethrotomies, urethral dilations, and urethroplasties. We report our experience in 42 patients with bulbar and membranous strictures (33 and 9 patients, respectively). In 10 patients, the stent was removed after 3 to 5 months, and the treatment was curative in 4 patients in this group. In 16 patients, the stent was removed after 12 months, and in 6 it was removed after 24 months. Thirty-two patients voided satisfactorily after stent insertion. The stent did not prevent recurrent strictures after its removal in most of the patients, but if changed regularly, once a year, it may avert repeated urethrotomies, dilations, and urethroplasties, which makes it a valid alternative in elderly patients.