Effect of a Temporary Thermo-Expandable Stent on Urethral Patency After Dilation or Internal Urethrotomy for Recurrent Bulbar Urethral Stricture: Results from a 1-Year Randomized Trial

Purpose: The long-term success rate of dilation and/or internal urethrotomy is low in cases of recurrent urethral stricture. We investigated the ability of the Memokath™ 044TW stent to maintain urethral patency after dilation or internal urethrotomy for recurrent urethral stricture.Materials and Methods: A total of 92 patients with recurrent bulbar urethral strictures (mean length 2.7 cm) were treated with dilation or internal urethrotomy and randomized to short-term urethral catheter diversion (29) or insertion of a Memokath 044TW stent (63). The primary end point was urethral patency, as assessed by passage of a calibrated endoscope. Secondary end points included urinary symptoms and uroflowmetry parameters. Stents were scheduled to remain in situ for 12 months.Results: The rate of successful stent insertion was 93.6% (59 of 63 patients). In stented patients patency was maintained significantly longer than controls (median 292 vs 84 days, p <0.001). Patency was reflected in significantly improved uroflo...