To synthetize the current scientific knowledge on the use of ultrasound of the male urethra for evaluation of urethral stricture disease. This review aims to provide a detailed description of the technical aspects of ultrasonography, and provides some indications on clinical applications of it, based on the evidence available from the selected prospective studies. Advantages and limitations of the technique are also provided.
A comprehensive literature search was performed using the Medline and Cochrane databases on October 2022. The articles were searched using the keywords "sonourethrography", "urethral ultrasound", "urethral stricture" and "SUG". Only human studies and articles in English were included. Articles were screened by two reviewers (M.F. and K.M.).
Our literature search reporting on the role of sonourethrography in evaluating urethral strictures resulted in selection of 17 studies, all prospective, even if of limited quality due to the small patients' number (varied from 28 to 113). Nine studies included patients with urethral stricture located in anterior urethra and eight studies included patients regardless of the stricture location. Final analysis was based on selected prospective studies, whose power was limited by the small patients' groups.
Sonourethrography is a cost-effective and safe technique allowing for a dynamic and three-dimensional urethra assessment. Yet, because of its limited value in detecting posterior urethral strictures, the standard urethrography should remain the basic 'road-map' prior to surgery. It is an operator-dependent technique, which can provide detailed information on the length, location, and extent of spongiofibrosis without risks of exposure to ionizing radiation.
World journal of urology. 2024 Jan 13*** epublish ***
Mikołaj Frankiewicz, Malte W Vetterlein, Karolina Markiet, Jan Adamowicz, Felix Campos-Juanatey, Andrea Cocci, Clemens M Rosenbaum, Wesley Verla, Marjan Waterloos, Guglielmo Mantica, Marcin Matuszewski, Trauma and Reconstructive Urology Working Party of the European Association of Urology Young Academic Urologists
Department of Urology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland., Department of Urology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. ., Department of Urology, Department of Radiology, University Clinical Centre in Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland., Department of Regenerative Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland., Andrology and Reconstructive Urology Unit, School of Medicine, Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, Cantabria University, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain., Department of Urology and Andrology, Careggi Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy., Department of Urology, Asklepios Hospital Barmbek, Hamburg, Germany., Department of Urology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium., IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy.