Patients and methods
skeletal deformity, MHz transducer, coagulopathy
URETHRAL STRICTURES, BLEEDING TENDENCY, STERILE, STRICTURES, COAGULOPATHY, PROSTATE, COLD
This prospective study was conducted in the Urology department at our institute from March 2020 to March 2022 on 80 male patients with bulbar urethral strictures < 2 cm. After Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. After that, patients were randomly allocated by a closed envelop method in two groups: group A (cold knife urethrotomy group) and group B (Ho:YAG laser urethrotomy group). Pediatric age group, patients with previous urethral surgery or urethral dilatation, patients with multiple strictures, patients with skeletal deformity hindering lithotomy position, patient who were unfit for surgery and/or anesthesia, patients with bleeding tendency and/or coagulopathy were excluded from the study. All patients were assessed by a thorough history taking with International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), full physical examination, renal and liver function tests, complete blood picture, coagulation profile, urine culture and sensitivity to ensure sterile urine before the procedure, preoperative uroflowmetry results including the maximum flow rate (Qmax) and mean flow rate (Qmean) values, and retrograde urethrography (RGU) with voiding films. Both pelvi-abdominal ultrasound by 3 MHz transducer for estimation of post-voiding residual (PVR) urine and sono-urethrogram by 7.5 MHz transducer for detection of degree of spongio-fibrosis were done.