title: Sonourethrography in the evaluation of anterior urethral stricture.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The management of urethral stricture is a challenge to both the urologists and the patients. Thoughtful and satisfactory preoperative evaluation remains important to achieving good outcome. Retrograde urethrography and Micturating Cystourethrography (RUG/MCUG) have been the gold standard imaging technique in the evaluation of anterior urethral stricture but are not without inherent limitations and side effects. Sonourethrography (SUG) could diagnose anterior urethral stricture, measure its length, and detect presence of complications and extent of spongiofibrosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To establish the sensitivity of sonourethrography in the identification of the anterior urethral stricture. To determine the accuracy of sonourethrography in measuring the length of anterior urethral stricture as well as to detecting spongiofibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective study of 60 patients clinically diagnosed to have anterior urethral stricture. The patients included in the study underwent both SUG and RUG/MCUG. The sensitivity of SUG was then calculated. Paired t-test was used to determine its ability to measure the length of the anterior urethral stricture. The percentage of patients detected to have spongiofibrosis on SUG was also computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients recruited for the study was 46 ± 18 years (Range = 9-69). The sensitivity of SUG was 94%. The lengths of anterior urethral stricture were 14.1 ± 1.9mm and 16.0 ± 2.1mm for RUG/MCUG and SUG respectively. The mean difference is 2.0mm (Confidence interval, CI = 0.872 - 2.911, p<0.05). SUG correctly identified spongiofibrosis in 31(51.7%) patients that had anterior urethral stricture.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has demonstrated that sonourethrography is a valuable diagnostic tool in the evaluation of anterior urethral stricture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos.
authors.forename: Cc
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ani
authors.affiliation: Urology Division, Department of Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Ic
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akpayak
authors.affiliation: Urology Division, Department of Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Nk
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dakum
authors.affiliation: Urology Division, Department of Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Vm
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ramyil
authors.affiliation: Urology Division, Department of Surgery, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Si
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shuaibu