Instruments Used to Stretch the Urethra

Urine flows from the bladder out of the urethra. If blocked, there are various instruments that can stretch the urethra and allow the patient to urinate comfortably again. These procedures are performed by a urologist, a doctor specializing in the kidneys, bladder and urethra. Inability to urinate is a serious condition and patients require immediate medical attention. Besides being painful, it can lead to damage to the kidneys and urinary tract.

Boogie

• The boogie, a thin plastic rod, is inserted into the urethra for dilation when stricture is present. A urethral stricture is scar tissue from infection, trauma, venereal disease, cancer or previous medical procedures, causing a narrowing of the urethra. Strictures result in an inability for urine to flow freely, or constant dribbling. A series of boogie rods, each wider than the next, are placed in the urethra to dilate and stretch the scar tissue.

Catheter stylet and dilator

• The catheter stylet is designed to pass through the urethra to the bladder. It functions as both a probe and as a guide for catheter installation. In cases of urethra constriction, a dilator may be placed over the stylet for purposes of widening the urethra. Used only in men, the stylet is sterile and ready to use.

Sounds

• Before the age of antibiotics, gonorrhea usually caused strictures in the urethra of its victims. Instruments called sounds were devised to break the strictures and allow urine to flow. The Van Buren sound has a 90-degree curve and imitates the penile anatomy. Sounds are inserted with the patient lying on his back. They are sterilized and lubricated before insertion. The sound must never be forced into the urethra, but allowed to fall into the tip of the penis by its own weight.