The use of S-curved coaxial dilator for urethral dilatation: Experience of a tertiary department.

Objective: Urethral strictures can be treated by urethral dilation, optical internal urethrotomy, or open surgical reconstruction (urethroplasty). Urethral dilation is done with filiforms and followers, balloons, or coaxial dilators inserted over a guidewire. The S-curved coaxial dilator (SCCD) was designed to facilitate the passage of the dilator through the stricture and the urethra because it imitates the curved anatomy of the male urethra. This study presents our experience with SCCD.

Materials and Methods: We used this kind of dilation in 310 patients. The technique included the insertion of a hydrophilic floppy-tipped guidewire through the urethra directly into the bladder under fluoroscopic control. The SCCDs were then inserted over the guidewire. Dilators of gradually increased size from 8F to 20F were used. The follow-up of the patients includes uroflowmetry and measurement of postvoid residual at 4 weeks, 6 months, or in the case of a recurrence of symptoms.

Results: The age of the patients were 69.08 ± 15.77 years. The causes of urethral stricture were iatrogenic ( n = 114), traumatic ( n = 35), infectious ( n = 22), and of unknown origin ( n = 139). The stricture length was 1.62 ± 0.85 cm. The mean number of dilations needed per case was 2 (range: 1-15), and the time between the dilations was 212.19 ± 253.9 days. We had seven failures.

Conclusion: We propose the S-curved coaxial dilators for urethral dilation as a safe and effective technique because of their similarity to the shape of the male urethra and because of their hydrophilic coating.