If you have problems relating to urethral strictures, urethroplasty is the surgical route to resolving them. If urethroplasty has been recommended to you, or you have a urethral stricture and want to know more about the surgery that could fix it, then here, we take a look at what you can expect:
What Are Urethral Strictures?
A urethral stricture is a blockage in the urethra caused by scarring. This can be the result of various factors, but is quite often caused by injury or surgery. Strictures can occur anywhere in the urethra, with those closest to the bladder known as posterior strictures, and those within the penis known as anterior strictures. They can make voiding the bladder painful or difficult, and cause other urological complications. Urethroplasty works to repair the stricture, or in some cases, other defects within the urethral walls.
How Is Urethroplasty Performed?
Urethroplasty is a fairly common type of surgery, and has a low incidence of complications, however it is not a minor surgery and the majority of urethroplasty patients do need to stay in hospital for between one to seven nights, depending on the specifics of their surgery and the observations that need to be made during recovery.
There are several different methods of urethroplasty, and the one that is right for you will depend on the size and position of the stricture, the tissue available for any grafting necessary, and various other factors including your general health and physiology. Usually, decisions relating to how your urethroplasty will be performed can be made after a urethography, which is a radiographic scan of the affected area.
Because urethroplasty surgeries can vary so much, the anesthetics used can range from sedation through to general anesthetic, and surgery time can be anything from one to eight hours.
After the Surgery
Urethroplasty is considered fairly low risk as surgeries go, and is well tolerated by most people who undergo it. After surgery, less than 10% of patients experience complications that could be considered serious. In general, the complications that relate to urethroplasty – aside from those such as post-operative infection which exist for any kind of surgery – relate to urination, erection and ejaculation. These are usually temporary and minor.
If you are suffering because of urethral strictures, please book an appointment today at 212-675-3186 so that we can look at your case and talk about whether urethroplasty is the best way to fix your problems!