Hydraulic urethral dilatation after optical internal urethrotomy: preliminary report

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the rate of early recurrence of urethral stricture in the first six months in patients who perform hydraulic urethral dilatation(HUD) after optical internal urethrotomy (OIU) and compare the early recurrence Fate in patients who perform HUD after OIU with the recurrence rates in patients reported in the literature whoundergo OIU without performing HUD.
Design: Prospective descriptive rase series.
Settings: Urology clinic, Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Subjects: Patients with symptoms of urethral structure subsequently radiologically demonstrated to have urethral structure that was deemed treatable by OIU.
Interventions: Evaluation included urethrography, renal biochemical profile and urethroscopy at the time of OIU. Patients with structures no longer than 50mm, no complete block or marked tortuousness, and no paraurethral sepsis were selected for OIU. urethral catheter for seven days followed by HUD) for one month.
Results: During a follow up period of five to seventeen months (mean 10.1 months), only two out of twenty three patients (8.7%) showed clinical evidence of stricture recurrence. The remaining patients reported normal voiding.
Conclusion: This report suggests that HUD, a cost-free technique, is an effective method  or preventing stricture recurrence after 01U. As follow up of these and subsequent patients continue. it is hoped that this not-so-well- known technique will undergo evaluation at other centres in our region.