Urethral stricture following aortic graft surgery.

The incidence of urethral stricture following aortic graft surgery was investigated retrospectively in a group of 127 men. They had been catheterised prior to their operation with latex catheters. One man had been treated for a stricture 9 months after his operation. Information about post-operative urinary symptoms was obtained from a further 94 surviving patients by postal questionnaires sent at least 12 months following surgery. Eight patients underwent urological review including, where indicated, urethrography under antibiotic cover; 3 patients were identified with urethral strictures, an incidence of 3.2%. This is similar to that occurring after cardiac surgery, and urethral strictures should be considered a hazard whenever catheters are used in surgical procedures.