A Retrospective Evaluation of Challenges in Urethral Stricture Management in a Tertiary Care Centre of a Poor Resource Community

BACKGROUND Management of urethral stricture has evolved over the years with better understanding of the pathology, advancement in imaging, and introduction of several techniques of urethral reconstruction. In sub-Saharan Africa, advancement in management of urethral stricture may not be comparable with what obtained in most developed nations because of problems like late presentation and persistence of rare complications still reported in recent literature from the region. OBJECTIVES We set to evaluate the challenges faced by urologists involved in the management of urethral strictures in Osogbo, a poor resource community in south western Nigeria. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective study was performed in the urology unit of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria between July 2007 and July 2012. Information was retrieved from patients' clinical notes and analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0. RESULTS Eighty-four patients were treated during the period of study, their ages ranged between 19 and 89 years with the mean age of 52.3 years. The mean duration of symptoms before presentation was 3 years and 1 month. Inflammation resulting from sexually transmitted infection was the commonest etiology and more than 50% of the patients presented with complications. Sixteen patients (19.1%) received no treatment due to lack of fund. More than 90% were dependent, unemployed or underemployed. Single stage reconstruction by urethral substitution was the commonest form of repair with the restenosis rate of 4.4%. CONCLUSIONS Prevalent socio-cultural and economic situation in south western Nigeria have added some peculiar challenges to the management of urethral stricture in the region.