Obliterative urethral stricture: MR urethrography versus conventional retrograde urethrography with voiding cystourethrography

Abstract

Institutional review board approval and informed consent were obtained. The purpose of the study was to prospectively evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) urethrography for the depiction of obliterative urethral stricture. Twelve patients with obliterative urethral stricture were examined preoperatively with T2-weighted, T1-weighted, and contrast material-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging of a urethra distended with sterile lubricating jelly. Ten of the 12 patients were examined with conventional retrograde urethrography (RGU) combined with voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) prior to MR imaging. Each imaging result was compared with either a surgical specimen or a description of the surgical findings to determine which method allowed accurate estimation of stricture length. MR measurements of stricture length demonstrated significantly lower errors (P < .05) and better linear fit to surgical measurement than did conventional RGU combined with VCUG measurements (r(2) = 0.85, P < .001 and r(2) = 0.03, P > .05, respectively). MR imaging of the urethra distended with sterile lubricating jelly is an effective tool for evaluating obliterative urethral strictures.