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ABSTRACT Management of men with anterior urethral stricture disease is a relatively common issue faced by practicing urologists today. Anterior urethral strictures, which can be the result
of congenital, idiopathic, iatrogenic or inflammatory causes, can affect patients of all ages and might present as some or all of the following disorders: difficulty with voiding, urinary
tract infection, acute urinary retention and high bladder emptying pressures. A thorough understanding of the urethral anatomy and etiology of the stricture followed by effective treatment
are crucial if successful outcomes for the patient are to be achieved. Historically, urologists viewed open repair as an option that should only be offered to patients who had failed to
respond to repeated endoscopic treatments—the so-called reconstructive ladder. This dogma has, however, been scrutinized; urologists should be aware that this process may subject patients to
repeated procedures with a low success rate, such as dilatation and internal urethrotomy, rather than one potentially curative operation, such as graft or flap urethroplasty. KEY POINTS * A
thorough understanding of urethral anatomy as well as the etiology and characteristics of each individual stricture is paramount * Assessment of each stricture should include physical
examination, radiographic and endoscopic techniques * Treatment approaches to each stricture include palliative and curative techniques, the goals of which should be clearly understood by
both surgeon and patient * Palliative techniques include urethral dilation and internal urethrotomy, whether performed via a cold knife or a laser approach * Curative techniques include
graft and flap urethroplasty with the goal of achieving adequate caliber and cosmesis of the neo-urethra Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription
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ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS FEMALE URETHRAL STRICTURE DISEASE: A
NARRATIVE REVIEW ON DIAGNOSIS, SURGICAL TECHNIQUES AND OUTCOMES Article 10 May 2025 EVOLUTION AND INNOVATION IN URETHROPLASTY: A COMPREHENSIVE NARRATIVE REVIEW OF GRAFT TYPES AND SURGICAL
TECHNIQUES Article 19 March 2025 SYNCHRONOUS MANAGEMENT OF URETHRAL STRICTURE DISEASE AND PENILE PROSTHESIS IMPLANTATION: A CASE SERIES Article 03 April 2025 REFERENCES * Santucci, R. A.,
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Désirée Lie, University of California, Irvine, CA, is the author of and is solely responsible for the content of the learning objectives, questions and answers of the MedscapeCME-accredited
continuing medical education activity associated with this article. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Urology Department, Adult and Pediatric Genitourinary Reconstructive
Surgery, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA Jeremy B. Tonkin & Gerald H. Jordan Authors * Jeremy B. Tonkin View author publications You can also search for this author
inPubMed Google Scholar * Gerald H. Jordan View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Gerald H. Jordan.
ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing financial interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Tonkin, J.,
Jordan, G. Management of distal anterior urethral strictures. _Nat Rev Urol_ 6, 533–538 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2009.181 Download citation * Published: 08 September 2009 *
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