Q: I am a 21 years old boy suffering from stricture for the last 2-3 years. I had a problem of urinary retention so I got cystroscopy done 2 years back. Since then I was using K-90 catheter but for the last 7-8 months I am taking homeopathic medicine and have stopped using K-90. But a few days back I again experienced urinary retention. Is there any permanent solution for this problem?

A:Treatment of stricture urethra depends on the length of stricture, its location and degree of periurethral fibrosis. Let me make it clear that there is no medical treatment for this disease. Treatment offered may be endoscopic (minimally invasive) or by open surgery. Endoscopic treatment has lower success rates, and can be a reasonable first line treatment if the stricture is short, limited to bulbar part of urethra and is not very tight. The types of open surgeries for treating stricture disease vary. While short length structures may be excised or increased in diameter with a patch, longer strictures may have to be treated in stages. Strictures may recur irrespective of the type of treatment offered. As you may perceive that stricture urethra is a very vague term, and encompasses a wide spectrum of disability, and requires proper assessment, and tailoring the treatment to get the best outcome.