Urethral Stricture - How To Detect It?

The major job of the Urethra is to drain the urine out of the body. It plays a vital part in ejaculating the sperm from the body of a man. When this thin tube gets swelled, wounded, or infected, it restricts the flow of urine. This medical condition is known as Urethral Stricture. The disease may make some people feel soreness during their urination. As the urethra of a man is longer than that of a woman's and which is why men are more susceptible to the condition.

Common causes of Urethral Stricture-

The common causes of the disease include wounds, infections, and a non-communicable form of urethritis. Other major causes of the disorder include:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia.
• Radiation.
• Pelvic cracks.
• Catheter insertion.
• Prostate surgery.

Common symptoms of the disease-

The symptoms of the disorder may range from mild to severe. These symptoms include:

• Low urine flow during urination.
• Sudden and frequent urination.
• Pain during urination.
• Soreness in the pelvic region.
• Penile soreness and bump.

Ways to diagnose the disease

The Urethral Stricture can be diagnosed in several ways, including reviewing the patient's medical history. The disorder can also be diagnosed through physical tests, such as:

• Measuring the urine flow during urination.
• Examining the chemical and physical characteristics of urine.
• Examining the health condition of the bladder and urethra.
• Measuring the size of the urethral opening.

Effective treatments for urethral stricture

Usually, the treatment options for Urethral Stricture mainly count on its severity. Some of the treatment options include:

1. Nonsurgical method: In this technique, the doctor will make the urethra wider using a dilator, which is a medical tool. This is a simple procedure, which allows the patient to resume his or her errands within some hours of the procedure.
2. Surgical procedure: When the disease becomes more severe and the patient is suffering from the disorder for a longer period, then Urethroplasty is the most suitable surgical procedure. In this procedure, the surgeon will remove the infected tissue and will restructure the urethra.  

Diverting the flow of urine

In harsh cases, the doctor may recommend a procedure to divert the flow of urine. In this procedure, the physician will create a hole in the patient's abdomen to make the urine flow through that hole. This procedure is usually helpful when the bladder is completely damaged.

Whenever you feel any of the above-mentioned symptoms of Urethral Stricture, it is always safe to consult a registered medical practitioner to decide the right treatment.