Department of Urology Surgery, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People's Republic of China.
BMC Urol. 2023 Oct 6;23(1):158. doi: 10.1186/s12894-023-01328-0.
To observe and evaluate the effectiveness and safety of using a sponge plug method to occlude the urethral meatus during retrograde urethrography (RUG) for accessing male urethral strictures.
40 male patients with a mean age of 51.4 years and a history of urethral injury were primarily diagnosed with urethral stricture using a urethrocystoscope. RUG was performed using a ureteral catheter with a sponge plug inserted into the external meatus. Iodixanol, a contrast medium, was injected into the urethra or bladder for performing RUG and voiding cystourethrography (VCUG). The patients were positioned obliquely to obtain urethrograms.
All X-ray radiologic procedures for performing urethrography were successful without any overflow of contrast liquid observed. In all cases, the sponge plugs became visible in the resulting images. The external meatuses were directly visualized in all cases on the obtained images, allowing identification of the number, location, and length of strictures as well as coexistent pathologies such as fistulas. In one case, the plug slipped off the meatus immediately after completing the procedure. The pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was 0 to 2, mean 0.35. No instances of complication or adverse reactions was observed.
The sponge plug effectively occludes the external urethral meatus for retrograde urethrography, enabling visualization of the actual caliber of the entire urethra, including the strictures and external meatus, by filling it with contrast liquid. This technique is safe and well-tolerated by patients.
观察和评估在逆行尿道造影（RUG）中使用海绵塞法阻塞尿道外口以治疗男性尿道狭窄的有效性和安全性。
40 名男性患者，平均年龄 51.4 岁，有尿道损伤史，首先使用尿道膀胱镜初步诊断为尿道狭窄。使用输尿管导管插入外部尿道，将海绵塞插入尿道外口进行 RUG。将碘昔醇造影剂注入尿道或膀胱进行 RUG 和排尿性膀胱尿道造影（VCUG）。将患者斜置以获得尿道造影。
所有进行尿道造影的 X 射线放射学程序均成功，未观察到造影液溢出。在所有情况下，海绵塞在成像中可见。在所有获得的图像中，均可以直接观察到外尿道口，从而可以识别狭窄的数量、位置和长度以及瘘管等并存的病变。在 1 例中，塞子在手术后立即从尿道口滑出。疼痛视觉模拟量表（VAS）评分为 0 到 2，平均 0.35。未观察到并发症或不良反应的发生。
海绵塞有效地阻塞了逆行尿道造影的尿道外口，通过向其中注入造影剂，可使整个尿道的实际口径，包括狭窄和外尿道口，得到可视化。该技术安全且患者耐受性良好。
