Retrograde urethrosonography with SonoVue in strictures of the male urethra: a pilot study.

Abstract

To evaluate the effectiveness of SonoVue urethrosonography in diagnosing the adult male anterior urethral strictures pathology in comparison with retrograde urethrography. We standardised the method and performed a comparative study evaluating the diagnosis of urethral strictures using retrograde urethrography and retrograde ultrasonographic exploration with SonoVue on 6 male patients. In all patients, the existence of urethral stricture, localization and its extension were confirmed. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic exploration brought additional categories of information: the degree of spongiofibrosis, the elasticity of the urethral walls and the presence of urethral lithiasis. There were no periprocedural incidents. This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility and innocuity of urethral ultrasound with SonoVue. Real-time ultrasound exploration highlights aspects that are not seen in radiological examination, so the method can be complementary or alternative to this procedure.