Mustafa Serdar ÇAĞLAYAN, Cemil AYDIN, Mustafa KESTEL, Musa EKİCİ, Muhammet İhsan ÖZTÜRK, Metin KIZGIN, Mehmet Murat BAYKAM
Journal of Urological Surgery - 2026;13(3):167-171
Objective: This study aimed to identify prognostic factors affecting recurrence after internal urethrotomy (IU) performed without adjuvant therapy in patients with urethral strictures shorter than 2 cm. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 263 patients who underwent IU for the first time between January 2018 and June 2024. Patient characteristics, including age, comorbidities, stricture length, etiology, location, postoperative complications (hematuria, urinary tract infection), and catheterization duration were recorded. Recurrence was defined as the need for re-intervention within the first year. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square, Fisher's exact, Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Results: The mean patient age was 68.2+/-18.9 years. Recurrence rates were 29.6% at 3 months and 64.2% at 1 year. Advanced age, diabetes mellitus (DM), coronary artery disease (CAD), and postoperative complications (hematuria, urinary tract infection) significantly increased the risk of recurrence (all p<0.001). No significant association was observed between recurrence and stricture length, etiology, location, or catheterization duration. Conclusion: Advanced age, DM, CAD, and postoperative complications (hematuria, urinary tract infection) are independent risk factors for recurrence after IU. Evaluation of these parameters may aid in planning early surgical strategies for high-risk patients. This study was retrospectively conducted and was not registered in a clinical trial registry as it did not meet the criteria for prospective registration.
