Comparison Between Holmium Laser Combined Ureteroscopy And Cold Knife Urethrotomy For Male Urethral Stricture

ObjectiveTo assess the effectiveness of visual laser ablation treatment with holmium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Ho:YAG) laser in male patients with urethral strictures and to compare the effects with those obtained in patients treated with Sachse's optical urethrotomy.Materials and MethodsRetrospectively analyze Fifty-nine patients'aged 11 to 84 (mean age 48.0) with primary and recurrent urethral strictures 0.4 to 2.2cm long clinical datas. The patients were divided into two groups:22 men treated using visual laser ablation of urethral strictures with Ho:YAG laser and 37 men treated by correction of urethral strictures using Sachse's optical urethrotomy.ResultsAt 2～12-month follow-up,2 (11.8%) patients who in the VLASU group and 9 (32.1%) underwen optical urethrotomy required repetition of the procedure. The postoperative mean maximum flow rate in group A was (17.3±3.4)ml/s while it was (15.2±2.8)ml/s in group B.ConclusionVLASU can be used as a method of treatment of this disorder. It is an effective, modern, low-invasive, and repeatable technique and is technically simple and easy to master. It can be used for treatment of multiple strictures during one procedure. The choice of VLASU as a method of treatment significantly decreased the probability of therapeutic failure and recurrence of urethral strictures. The treatment is more effective than transurethral resection of the cold knife incision.