Urethral Strictures
Strictures of the bulbar and penile urethra and the tip of the penis: causes, testing, and when urethroplasty is the right fix.
Written and reviewed by Shervin Badkhshan, MD · Last reviewed
November 2026
Part of:
Urethral strictures
Outpatient or 1 night
Catheter: 2–3 weeks
Fellowship-Trained Reconstructive Urology
AT A GLANCE
From symptoms to treatment
1. SYMPTOMS
• Weak or spraying stream • Straining or dribbling • Repeated urinary infections
2. TESTING
• Flow test and bladder scan • Retrograde urethrogram, in the office • Cystoscopy
Test result guides →
3. TREATMENT
• Dilation or urethrotomy for short, first-time strictures • Optilume for some recurrent ones • Urethroplasty for lasting repair
Surgical options →
An anterior urethral stricture is scar tissue that narrows the urethra between the tip of the penis and the area just under the prostate. It's the most common type of stricture I treat.
The three locations
Bulbar urethra: the segment behind the scrotum. The most common location, often from an old injury, an infection, or a catheter.
Penile urethra: along the shaft. Often linked to lichen sclerosus, prior hypospadias repair, or catheters.
Fossa navicularis and meatus: the tip of the penis. Frequently from lichen sclerosus or prior instruments.
What you might notice
A weak or spraying stream, straining, dribbling, getting up more at night, repeated urinary infections, or a stream that has slowly worsened over years.
How I evaluate it
A flow test and a bladder scan show how well you empty. A retrograde urethrogram, done in my office, shows the length and location of the scar, and a quick cystoscopy can confirm what it looks like from the inside. Those details decide the repair.
Treatment
Dilation or a cut through the scar (urethrotomy) can help short, first-time strictures, but they often come back. A drug-coated balloon (Optilume) is an option for some short, recurrent strictures. For strictures that keep returning, urethroplasty is the long-term fix: removing a short scar and rejoining the ends, or widening a longer one with a graft from inside the cheek.
Related
Urethroplasty · Before urethroplasty · Optilume aftercare · What to expect at a retrograde urethrogram
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Your results and questions
Your actual test results, visit notes, and messages with your care team are in your patient portal, the same one you use to book visits. Send questions through the portal or call the office at (516) 535-1900. For anything urgent, call the office or go to the nearest emergency room.