RESUMO
PURPOSE: Although it is well known that surgical treatment has been gold standard in most cases of ureteral stricture, but its effect was not satisfactory. The development of balloon catheters and advances in endourology offer attractive alternative management compared to surgery in the treatment of urethral strictures. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of balloon dilatation as an alternative treatment in the management of benign ureteral stricture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the records of 32 patients, treated during the last 5 years for benign ureteral stricture disease. Balloon dilatation of benign ureteral strictures were performed in a percutaneous antegrade(10 patients) or retrograde(22 patients) fashion followed by placement of a 6 Fr. stent for 6-8 weeks. The underlying diseases or conditions of the benign ureteral stricture were tuberculous ureteritis in 15, surgery to ureter in 8, iatrogenic cause in 5, and primary cause in 4. RESULTS: The over-all rate of succesful management of benign ureteral stricture diseases using endoscopic techniques was 75 percent. The significant complications were not observed in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the result of our experiences, we suggest the use of balloon dilatation as the initial treatment method in benign urethral stricture.