Urethral Stricture

Also known as: urethral stricture disease.

What is urethral stricture?

The urethra is the tube that allows urine to drain from the body. When the urethra becomes narrow somewhere along its length for some reason, this can cause complications and is known as urethral stricture.

What causes urethral stricture?

Swelling or scar tissue after surgery, an injury or a disease can lead to urethral stricture. Sexually transmitted diseases and other procedures or infections can also cause urethral stricture.

What are the symptoms of urethral stricture?

Blood in the urine or semen, frequent urination, painful urination, loss of bladder control, abdominal pain, a slow urine stream or swelling of the penis are all potential symptoms of urethral stricture.

What are urethral stricture care options?

In less severe cases a procedure known as laser urethrotomy can be used to widen the urethra with a small laser fiber through the cystoscope. Other surgical procedures can be utilized to correct more severe cases of urethral stricture.

Reviewed by: Rafael Gosalbez, MD

This page was last updated on: September 09, 2019 09:27 AM