Value of direct vision internal urethrotomy in treatment of urethral stricture-twenty-year clinical experience

Objective To summarize the experience and evaluate the efficacy of treatment of urethral stricture using direct visual internal urethrotomy (DVIU).Methods The clinical data of 361 patients (age range 16 -72 years, mean age 38 years) with urethral stricture who underwent urethrotomy from 1990 to 2010 was retrospectively analyzed.The disease course ranged from three months to 78 months with a mean of 16 months.The stricture length ranged from 0.2 to 2.0 cm (mean 1.1 cm).Stricture length was split into four main groups:stricture length≤0.5 cm in 63 (group 1 ), stricture length ranging between 0.6 and 1.0 cm in 175 ( group 2), stricture length ranging between 1.0 and 1.5 cm in 85 ( group 3 ) , and stricture length ranging between 1.6 and 2.0 cm in 38 ( Group 4).Of the 238 patients with length less than 1.0 cm there were 148 who's scar thickness were less than 1.0 cm, and 90 who's scar thickness were greater than 1.0 cm.Of the 123 patients with length less than 2.0 cm there were 69 who's scar thickness was less than 1.0 cm, and 54 who's scar thickness was greater than 1.0 cm.Results Three patients with DVIU failed because of long occlusion and false passage.Three hundred and twenty patients were followed-up from 12 to 120 months (mean:42).Re-openiag procedures were performed on 174 patients (54.4%) due to recurrence.The re-openiag procedure rate was 3.3%, 49.7%, 83.3% and 97.1% in Group1, Group2,Group3 and Group4, respectively.On the basis of scar thickness, of the 207 patients with stricture length less than 1.0 cm, 38 of 136 patients (27.9%) with scar thickness less than 1.0 cm underwent opening operation, and 43 of 71 patients (60.6%) with scar thickness more than 1.0 cm underwent opening operation.One hundred and thirteen patients with stricture length more than 1.0 cm, 33 of 42 patients (78.6%) with scar thickness less than 1.0 cm underwent opening operation, and 60 of 71 patients (84.5%) with scar thickness more than 1.0 cm underwent opening operation.Conclusions Good efficacy can be achieved in patients whose urethral stricture length is less than 0.5cm or whose stricture length and scar thickness is less than 1.0 cm using DVIU. Key words: Urethral stricture; Endoscopy; Internal urethrotomy