Urethral strictures following transurethral resection of the prostate. The role of the catheter

Urethral stricture is the most common late complication of transurethral prostatectomy (TURP). The cause is unknown. A prospective, randomised study was undertaken to investigate the role of the transurethral catheter in stricture formation. A total of 205 patients subjected to TURP were studied. Following resection, they were randomly divided into 2 groups: those drained by a transurethral siliconised latex catheter and those drained by a suprapubic siliconised latex catheter. At follow-up, 6 to 24 months later, 17% of the patients in the transurethral group had developed urethral stricture; the corresponding figure in the suprapubic group was 4%. As a consequence of the higher incidence of stricture in the transurethrally drained group, more patients in that group were dissatisfied with the results of the operation. It was concluded that the post-operative transurethral catheter was an important factor in stricture formation following TURP and that transurethral drainage with a siliconised latex catheter resulted in a higher incidence of stricture. This led to a greater number of patients being dissatisfied with the results of the operation, but the catheter did not affect the results in any other way.