Diagnosis of urethral strictures: is retrograde urethrography still necessary?

Different methods are available in the diagnosis and treatment of urethral strictures. True diagnosis is necessary for choosing the most suitable method of treatment and to inform the patient about the method, complications, recurrence rate and costs. In this study we aimed to compare the efficiency, complications and reproducibility of retrograde urethrography with urethroscopy. The retrograde urethrographic (RGU) and urethroscopic findings of 38 male patients were evaluated. Thirty had the same findings with either technique. In 8 patients the RGU was misdiagnosing (p < 0.01). In conclusion, it has been shown that the results of RGU are misleading when it is not combined with urethroscopy and we think that it must not be a routine method in the diagnosis of urethral strictures.