The "Wallstent": a new stent for the treatment of urethral strictures

Ten patients have been reviewed in whom urethral stents were implanted for treatment of urethral stricture. Their urethral strictures had been treated with a median of 4.2 endoscopic urethrotomies under direct vision without success. The patients were first treated with optical urethrotomy, and dilatation to 30 F--after which the stents were inserted under direct endoscopic control. A total of 12 stents were inserted. All patients had a 30 mm stent inserted first, and two patients had an additional 20 mm stent inserted because of recurrent stricture at the distal or proximal end of the first stent. One patient had a urethrotomy 12 months after insertion of the stent because of a short recurrent stricture at its distal end. The median length of follow up was 24 months. The median preoperative maximum flow rate was 6.5 ml/s, and the median postoperative maximum flow rate was 20.3 ml/s. Half the patients had postmicturition dribbling postoperatively. The stents were covered with epithelium after 6-18 months, most between 12 and 18 months.