title: [Permanent urethral stents in urethral stenosis].
abstract: The first-line treatment for bulbar urethral strictures is still dilation. The second-line treatment is usually optical urethrotomy. A real challenge for the urologist is a recurrent bulbar urethral stricture following 1 or more of these procedures. In patients with important spongiofibrosis, repeat dilation or urethrotomy is destined to fail. Urethroplasty is the ideal treatment option for recurrent bulbar urethral strictures. However, some patients with recurrent strictures are either not interested in or are not candidates for surgical urethroplasty. In this group of patients, the placement of an endourethral prosthesis allows a method for maintaining adequate urethral patency without the need for repeat dilation or urethrotomy. The use of endourethral stents provides another form of therapy in this relatively common and often troublesome disease. This article reviews indications for usage, placement technique, results, and complications associated with permanent stent placement.
authors.affiliation: U.O. di Urologia, Ospedale di Saronno, Saronno, VA, Italy.
authors.forename: Mirco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castiglioni
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fontanella
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015607:Stents; D013997:Time Factors; D014525:Urethral Stricture / Q000601:surgery*