Dilatation of urethral strictures using an endoscopically placed guide.

The blind dilatation of a tight urethral stricture can be a difficult and potentially dangerous procedure. The technique described in this paper enables such strictures to be safely dilated after endoscopic placement of a suitable guide over which Cosbie-Ross bougies can be 'railroaded'. The dilatation can be done gently and progressively using initially very fine bougies, which would be dangerous to use without a guide in view of the likelihood of perforating the urethra.