ULTRASOUND EVALUATION OF THE MALE URETHRA FOR ASSESSMENT OF URETHRAL STRICTURE

Radiographic retrograde urethrography has traditionally been the prefe rred technique used by urologists to image the anterior urethra. Since originally described by McAninch in 1988, ultrasonic imaging of the u rethra has evolved into a powerful and clinically useful tool for the accurate delineation of urethral pathology. Although posterior urethra l and peri-urethral fibrosis cannot be assessed reliably using this te chnique, sono-urethrography has proven to be more accurate than conven tional radiographic urethrography in measuring stricture length throug hout the anterior urethra. Herein we describe the evolution of sono-ur ethrography, explain its many advantages over traditional imaging tech niques, and show clinical examples of its importance in guiding the su ccessful reconstruction of urethral strictures, particularly in the bu lbar area. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.