Re: urethral stenosis

[HFHS M.D.-MS]

Posted By HFHS M.D.-MS on February 20, 1998 at 16:31:41:

In Reply to: urethral stenosis posted by karen on February 10, 1998 at 17:27:54:







: I am a 50 year old female diagnosed with severe urethral stenosis.  The only information i can find relates to the male.  I would like to know any information on this in relation to females.  Also I would like to communicate with any other females who have this diagnosis.
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Dear Karen:
Thanks for your question.
A narrowing of the urethra, stenosis is considered congenital (existing since birth) and  stricture is usually acquired ( a  result of something experienced after birth). Trauma is a common cause of urethral strictures whether from stones, instrumentation or UTIs, (urinary tract infection).
The medical understanding of female urethral stenosis has changes over the past 30 years. Previously, some investigators reported that some girls with recurrent UTIs seemed to have a fibrous ring at the end of their urethra seen on  voiding cystourethrogram, (VCUG an x-ray which outlines the bladder and urethra during voiding).  This ring was thought to disappear at puberty when estrogen  levels increased.   Later investigators found that distal urethral measurements in asymptotic girls were the same and the pattern seen on VCUG was not related to a urethral blockage or narrowing. It was found that girls who were once thought to have urethral stenosis as the cause of their UTIs were better treated with antibiotics instead of urethral dilatation. The same is true for adult women.
    Once commonly performed urethral dilation is now infrequently performed unless the urethra can be accurately determined to be narrowed (less than 12-14 French).  Over-dilation can theoretically cause more scarring, narrowing and thus an endless cycle.      
As far as finding other women with the same condition I would try posting in Dejanews.com  
This information is provided for general medical information purposes only. Please consult  your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition.The Henry Ford Hospital Department of Urology has experience in the evaluation and treatment of problems such as you describe. We would be most interested in helping you. Dr. Burks and  Dr. Kirkemo  have  a special interest in female urology. You can reach one of them through our toll-free number our toll-free number (1-800-653-6568). We can also arrange local accommodations through this number if this is  your need. Please bring  any physicians notes and lab test results that you may be able to obtain. These will help us greatly.
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Good Luck
Sincerely;
HFHS-M.D. MS
* Keyword: urethral stenosis