title: Experience at a stricture clinic in a developing country.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the experience of 37 years regarding etiology, complications and evolving practice of the management of stricture urethra patients at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi.
  
  
  METHODS
  The retrospective descriptive study included 1600 cases of stricture urethra admitted to the Urology Section of the institute from 1972 to 2009. Files of all patients were reviewed; age, gender, site of stricture, etiology, diagnostic methods, clinical symptoms and management, as well trends and patterns were noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 1600 patients of whom 1595 (99.4%) were males and 5 (0.4%) were females with age ranging from 14-80 years. Pelvic fracture urethral disfraction defects (n = 655; 49.5%) and fall astride (n = 123; 9.2%) were the commonest causes. Of the total, 92 percent presented with retention of urine. In the first decade, rail-road and dilatation was the mainstay of treatment. In the second decade, rail-road, dilatation and direct visual internal urethrectomy were the mainstay, but in the last 5 years, urethroplasty replaced the old methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trauma is the main cause of stricture. Over the years, urethroplasty and direct visual internal urethrotomy are the mainstay of management. Stricture clinic plays an important role in the early diagnosis of complications of stricture urethra and in the rehabilitation of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, Pakistan. info@siut.org
authors.forename: Manzoor
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Askari
authors.forename: Murli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: Syed Ali Anwar
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Naqvi
authors.forename: Syed Adibul Hasan
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rizvi
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010154:Pakistan; D010388:Pelvis / Q000293:injuries*; D014525:Urethral Stricture / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D016055:Urinary Retention / Q000209:etiology; D055815:Young Adult