What is a urethral stricture?

A urethral stricture is a narrowing of the urethra. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from your bladder to outside your body. When something makes the urethra get tighter, it's hard for urine to pass out of your body. Strictures are more common in men than in women.

What causes it?

Doctors sometimes don't know what causes a stricture. Often it's caused by an injury to the area around a man's scrotum. An injury can be from a fall, a procedure, or an infection, such as a sexually transmitted infection.

What are the symptoms?

Your urine may come out very slowly or in a weak stream. You may have belly pain from urine building up in your bladder. It may hurt to pass urine. You may not be able to control the leaking of urine. You may also have blood in your urine and urinary tract infections.

How is it diagnosed?

Your doctor will ask you questions about your medical history. He or she will do a physical exam.

Your doctor may check to see how fast urine flows through your urethra. He or she may measure how much urine is held in your bladder. You may also have an ultrasound or an X-ray test that uses dye. These tests can let your doctor see how the urine moves through your urethra.

After your doctor knows where the problem is, he or she can suggest treatment.

How is it treated?

Your doctor may recommend urethral dilation. This procedure widens the urethra. A thin tube called a catheter may be left in the urethra for a few days. It helps to keep the urethra open while it heals.

In some cases, the doctor also may do a procedure called a urethrotomy. The doctor uses a thin, lighted tool called a cystoscope. The scope has a special blade at the tip to cut through scar tissue. That can help widen the urethra.

If dilation can't be done or doesn't help, you may need surgery to remove the scar tissue. At the same time, your doctor can rebuild the urethra. This is called urethroplasty.