Stricture Urethra

Stricture urethra is more common in men than in women

An elderly gentleman complaining of an unmitigated urgency for urination is usually suffering from an enlargement of the prostate gland but if the stream of urination is not free in somebody younger it could likely be due to the narrowing of the urethra.

Urethra is a fine tube through which urine flows out from the bladder and passes through the external genitalia in men and above the vagina in women. This elastic tube remains patent and is under the control at the neck of the bladder. Due to some reasons there is a narrowing of urethra and urine does not pass out thoroughly and this condition is called as stricture urethra. The condition is more common in men than in women as the length of urethra is itself longer. There is an urge to pass urine but they find that they have to wait for the stream to flow out.

Symptoms

More often than not, men find that they take longer time at the restroom to clear their bladder. As it goes, there is a feeling they have to exert pressure voluntarily at urination. At the end of urination there could be dribbling of drops and still a feeling that the bladder has not evacuated completely and the urge to attend the toilet after a while again. The strain for urination could sometimes bring on a burning sensation while and at the end of urination. There is an ensuing infection of the bladder as the urine retained in the bladder is prone to grow bacteria and the wall of the bladder too thickens and it is a vicious cycle.

All this happens due to the urethra which becomes narrowed down due to certain causes. The commonest of which happens to be due to an injury either while riding or a fall and not uncommonly after a medical examination of the bladder through the urethra which may damage the lining and the healed area could form into a scar narrowing the lumen.

Any catheter which needs to be placed for long periods has been known to cause infection and reaction in the form of a stricture. Any sexually transmitted disease is also likely to cause a secondary disturbance on the lining of the urethra.

Treatment

Any treatment would aim at seeing that the flow of urination is not impeded by the narrowing at the neck of the bladder or later. If there is acute retention of urine, an urologist would help in draining with a catheter or a temporary incision through the abdomen. But on certain occasions there is a dilation of the urethra done under anaesthesia by inserting a thin instrument. But since the procedure on repetition has been known to cause worsening of the situation the problem needs to be addressed.

Homoeopathic medicine has good remedies like Cantharis which can help in controlling the urinary infection; Causticum which helps in toning the musculature of the bladder wall, Clematis when hesitancy at the initi

Staphysagria would address the issue when injury or catheterisation is known to cause narrowing of urethra.

To prolong the duration between dilations and seeing that urinary output at every voiding improves is the need in the treating of stricture urethra which homoeopathic medicine addresses well.