Use of stents in postoperative recurrent urethral stenosis [L'uso degli stent nelle stenosi uretrali post-operatorie plurirecidive]

We have started study after a publication (1) about our experience on 1376 urethrotomies executed above 784 patients; the 11% of these stenosis have been consequent on endoscopic or open surgery. In the 23% of these patients we have made more than two urethrotomies and in 4% of these the endoscopic operation has not been resolutive. We described the use of the urethral wall stent in 13 patients with recurring urethral strictures. The stainless steel stent is self expanding when released from its endoscopic introducer. We have desobstructed the 100% of the patients and obtained a max flow between 15 and 24 ml/sec. We haven't had problems of re-epithelialization if excluded two patients where observed a stabilized exuberant re-epithelialization without uroflowmetry variations. It is considered that this endoscopic technique offers a simple, safe and effective alternative to multiple dilatations and urethrotomies in patients with bulbar urethral strictures.