Balloon catheter dilatation of urethral strictures

Department of Radiology, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Seven patients with urethral strictures due to different causes were treated by balloon catheter dilatation. The dilatation was performed on an outpatient basis in conjunction with suprapubic voiding cystourethrography and under fluoroscopic control. Only diazepam sedation and topical anesthesia were used. No indwelling catheters were placed in the urethra after the procedure. Six of the seven patients have been followed for 6-26 months, and only two have required redilatations. There have been no complications that required therapy. The initial success with our technique and that reported by others suggest that balloon catheter dilatation offers a good alternative treatment for urethral strictures to replace bouginage, urethrotomy, and urethroplasty.
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