Urethral stricture disease occurs due to the dysfunction of the urethra. The urethra’s main job in males and females is to pass urine outside the body. This is a thin tube-like structure. It also has an important role in ejaculation for men. A stricture restricts the flow of urine from the bladder and can cause a variety of medical problems in the urinary tract, including inflammation or infection. Urethral stricture in simple words is narrowing in the tube which drains urine from the bladder towards the outside. Stricture restricts the flow of urine from the bladder and can cause variety of medical problems including urinary infection, can cause difficulty in passing urine ,there will be urine left in the bladder even after you peed out once. So the kidney can get damaged. Most important symptom of stricture is difficulty in passing urine, that means patient takes a lot of time to start, he takes a lot of time to finish his flow, his flow is poor. He will leave behind a lot of urine in the bladder therefore he will go again and again for urinating. He will get up again and again in the night . When he will run to the bathroom to urinate it is known as urgency.
Symptoms of Urethral Stricture
The urethra is a tube-like structure, when there is a kink or narrowing in the tube, no matter how short or long, the flow is reduced. When a stricture affects your urine flow, you will have symptoms. Some visible symptoms are as listed below.
1. Decreased urine stream
2. Urine stream spraying
3. Pain while urinating
4. Abdominal pain
How to diagnose Urethral Stricture ?
To test for a urethral stricture, we might perform a physical exam or one of these diagnostic tests:
For males, a doctor will also conduct a physical exam to see whether there are any visible injuries or deformities to the penis. They may also recommend various testing methods to identify urethral problems. Tests include:
The first test should be Uroflammotory. It is the first test that hints towards stricture.
If the graph is flat that suggests there is stricture.
• Retrograde urethrogram: In a retrograde urethrogram, a doctor inserts special contrast dye into the urethra at the tip of the penis and watches where the dye progresses using a fluoroscopic X-ray device.
• BXO(Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans):
• Imaging studies: Imaging studies, such as MRI and CT scans, scans, and ultrasounds, let doctors view the urethra and surrounding structures.
Urethral stricture treatment without surgery.
Treatment without surgery is what most people want. But it is not possible to get it cured without surgery as it is not any kind of muscle spasm that can be treated with exercise or other things. Stricture needs surgery to get cured as its fixed narrowing.
The success rate of Urethral stricture surgery.
As the medical world has developed and advanced so much in the past few years. Almost all surgeries have the best success rates. The success rate in the case of urethral stricture is around 98% in simple cases whereas in complex cases it’s the success rate is around 80%.
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Care after urethral stricture Surgery.
You need to take extra care of your diet after the surgery. There are a few things you must avoid and a few that you must have. Yogurt is considered very good to keep in your diet after surgery as it does not allow harmful bacteria to build up. Berries are also very nutritious and are rich in vitamin C. They beat bacterial and fungal infections. Fruits such as apples, bananas, and oranges are rich in fibre and are easy to digest as well. Garlic is also helpful in the prevention of the growth of unwanted microbes in urinary bladder.
And you should avoid nuts, too much meat, excess eggs, junk food, and carbonated drinks to avoid any complications in post-surgery.
