[Laser treatment of urethral strictures].

Since the late 1970s different laser systems have been applied for the treatment of urethral strictures. Thermal effects adjacent on tissue have made the long term results of Nd:-YAG and Ar+ laser application discouraging. New laser systems (KTP, Excimer, Ho: YAG) still have to prove their efficacy in randomized clinical trials against cold knife urethrotomy.