Introduction. Retrograde urethrography (RUG), the standard diagnostic technique for urethral stricture, does not accurately assess key ure¬thral stricture parameters that are crucial for treatment planning. Therefore, exploring the potential of other diagnostic methods is relevant.
Aim. The advantages of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the urethra for choosing surgical treatment strategies of urethral stricture.
Materials and methods. The study included 168 men with urethral strictures who underwent various surgical treatment options. Patients underwent preoperative RUG (with or without voiding cystourethrography) and MRI of urethra. Data obtained from these methods were compared with intraoperative parameters.
Results. MRI allowed us to determine the length of the urethral stricture, the extent, and the spatial location of spongiofibrosis with an accuracy that is not significantly different from intraoperative data. The surgical treatment plan based on MRI data was confirmed during surgery in 94.6% of cases. RUG (with or without voiding cystourethrography) leads to significant errors in determining the length of the urethral stricture and does not provide information on spongiofibrosis. The surgical treatment plan based on RUG data was confirmed during surgery only in 67.3% of cases. Surgical plans based on RUG and MRI data had a significant difference in the frequency of coincidence with the intraoperative volume of surgical intervention (p=0.011).
Conclusion. The study demonstrated that MRI provides preoperative information on the urethra that is virtually identical to the results obtained intraoperatively. This allows MRI data to be used as a basis for choosing the optimal treatment strategy for patients with urethral stricture.
