One-stage urethral reconstruction for stricture recurrence after urethral stent placement

PURPOSE: We report our 8-year experience with 1-stage open urethral reconstruction in 10 patients with recurrent bulbar and/or membranous strictures after UroLume urethral stent placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten consecutive referral patients underwent preoperative contrast imaging and urethroscopy followed by primary anastomotic repair or substitution urethroplasty, with concomitant open UroLume removal (when the stent was still present). Postoperative evaluation included contrast imaging 3 weeks after surgery, urethroscopy 4 months after surgery, uroflowmetry, and American Urological Association symptom score assessment. RESULTS: At a medium followup of 51.2 months all patients remain free of bulbar or membranous stricture recurrence. No patient has required dilation or any other intervention. CONCLUSIONS: One-stage open reconstruction with stent extraction offers a definitive treatment option with a high success rate for patients with recurrent bulbar and/or membranous strictures following urethral stent placement.