Histopathological findings in post-inflammatory urethral strictures treated at Mulago hospital, Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

The predominant risk factor for recurrence of urethral stricture after surgical  treatment is the extent of scarring and other related pathological findings in the affected segment of the urethra. In this study, 107 patients with post inflammatory urethral strictures aged between 23-79 years seen between 1996 and 1998 underwent a two-staged urethroplasty. During the first stage, incisional biopsies were taken from four areas namely the stricture itself, the segments proximal and distal to the stricture and the peri-urethral tissues surrounding the stricture. All the  four biopsies for each patient were subjected to histological examination. The  main histological finding was non-specific chronic inflammation and fibrosis. In the stricture part there was moderate diffuse chronic inflammation. In proximal segment, severe chronic inflammation with  ulceration of stratified squamous pithelium and urinary pockets werc the predominant  histological findings. It1 the distal segment, mild chronic inflammati( )11 dominated. Lastly, in the periurethral tissues there was fibrosis interspersed with chronic mild inflammation.