New minimally invasive day case surgery for urethral strictures introduced at Dewsbury and District Hospital

A urethral stricture is a narrowing of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder and out of the body. It is caused by scar tissue and the narrowing disrupts the normal flow of urine. It is more common in men than women.

The first three same day surgeries took place in the Ridings theatres on Thursday, April 16, and were successfully undertaken by consultant urologist Victor Onowa and his team.

The new procedure - called Optilume Drug Coated Balloon Urethral Dilation - is minimally invasive and uses an endoscope and drug-coated balloon technique to deliver the anti-proliferative drug paclitaxel.

Victor said: “This benefits patients and staff because it is a day case procedure with the option of being performed under local anaesthesia in a treatment room without the need for complex equipment.

“This frees up theatre space and staff for more complex procedures.”

Patient Robert Fox, from Wakefield, said: “The care I received was brilliant from start to finish. The initial consultation was great, where all the options were explained to me and where I got to meet the surgeon.

“The surgery went very smoothly, and everything has been fine since. It was all done as day surgery and only took a couple of hours, and I got home quickly to start my recovery.”

The new procedure was introduced at Dewsbury because, compared with existing treatments, it has been shown to last longer and reduce the risk of the stricture returning or needing further treatment.