THE EFFECT OF INTERNAL URETHROTOMY AND URETHRAL DILATATION ON THE POSTOPERATIVE COURSE OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING SURGERY FOR STRESS INCONTINENCE

Summary Three years' experience of a total of 128 patients undergoing surgery for stress incontinence is described. Forty-three patients had an internal urethrotomy performed routinely at the end of the operation, 26 had routine urethral dilatation and 59 had neither procedure. Internal urethrotomy, and to a lesser extent urethral dilatation, resulted in prompt return of spontaneous and efficient micturition following removal of the Foley catheter on the third postoperative day. The postoperative stay averaged 6·4 days in the urethrotomy group of patients, 7·6 days in those who had urethral dilatation and 10·6 days in the others. The two-year cure rate in the patients who had neither procedure performed was 85 per cent and as yet no failures have occurred in the patients who had internal urethrotomy or urethral dilatation performed.