Strictures of the urethra are the most common cause of obstructed micturition in younger men and there is frequent recurrence after initial treatment. Currently, routine repeated dilations, including intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) are prescribed by urologists to prevent urethral stricture recurrence. There is, however, no high level evidence available supporting the effectiveness of practicing these painful techniques. Balancing efficacy, adverse effects and costs, we hypothesize that active surveillance is a better option for preventing stricture recurrence as compared with routine repeated dilations. However, well designed, adequately powered multi-center trials with comprehensive evaluation are urgently needed to confirm our hypothesis. .
Urology journal. 2016 Aug 25*** epublish ***
Ye Tian, Romel Wazir, Jianzhong Wang, Kunjie Wang, Hong Li
Department of Urology Surgery, Guizhou Provincial Hospital, Guiyang, P.R. China., Field Hospital, Mari Petroleum Company Limited, Daharki, District Ghotki, Sindh, Pakistan., Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, P.R. China., Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. ., Department of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China.