Urethral calculi: a review.

The diagnosis and management of 19 patients treated for urethral calculi over a 16-year period are reviewed. All were males, had a median age of 20 years, and urinary retention was the most common presenting symptom. Thirteen (68%) had anterior urethral calculi; 14 (74%) had anatomic alterations of the urethra; and 12 (80%) of the patients who had urine culture had urinary infection. External urethrotomy and open cystolithotomy were the methods used for the removal of calculi in most instances.