And how patients are breaking the retreatment cycle with Optilume®
Urethral strictures are a common but often overlooked condition that can disrupt normal urination.
Optilume® is the first and only FDA-approved drug-coated balloon designed to help reduce recurrence of urethral strictures by treating the underlying scar tissue.1
Quality of life has improved. I can garden, I can go out in my yard and do what I want.
When I had my first appointment to come back to do a follow-up, I was like “I don’t know what we’re going to talk about because everything is great and I don’t know why delayed as much as I did.”
I’d tell anybody to get it!
It’s worth asking your provider about Optilume® Stricture if you want:
A minimally invasive option
Shorter recovery time
No sexual side effects
Lasting flow improvement
Freedom from retreatment
That’s completely normal, click the button below to talk to an Optilume® specialist
Optilume® is a breakthrough in urethral stricture treatment. Watch the video below to understand how the procedure works and what you can expect.
Step 1 — Insertion
The Optilume® drug coated balloon is guided through the urethra to the site of the stricture using a standard clinical approach.
Step 2 — Dilation
A pre-dilation balloon is inflated to gently expand the scar tissue, creating micro-fissures across the narrowed area and opening the stricture.
Step 3 — Drug Delivery
The pre-dilation balloon is removed, and the drug-coated balloon is inserted. As it expands, it simultaneously delivers paclitaxel — a clinically proven anti-proliferative drug — directly into the stricture tissue. This limits scar tissue regrowth and helps prevent the stricture from recurring.
Step 4 — Removal
Once the drug has been delivered, the balloon is deflated and removed. No implant is left in the body.
Optilume is not another temporary fix. It’s designed to treat the root cause of urinary stricture and keep it from coming back.
72%
Didn’t need a second procedure at 5 years1
298%
Flow Improvement1
71%
Decrease in negative patient symptom scores1
Urethral stricture disease occurs when there is an obstruction in the urethra that prevents the flow of urine and emptying of the bladder properly. The stricture will block the narrow passage of the urethra, making it difficult and painful to urinate. Urethral strictures are often caused by traumatic, inflammatory or ischemic processes that can lead to severe problems if left untreated.
Letting these issues go on too long without seeking medical treatment can cause kidney damage, urinary tract infections and general discomfort or pain with urination.
Numerous medical and traumatic complications can lead to urethral stricture, yet 30% of the causes2 of this condition are unknown. Here are the most common factors that lead to this issue.
Infections
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia and gonorrhea, are among the most common causes of swelling and scarring in the urethra, creating urethral strictures.
Inflammation
Some skin conditions, such as Lichen sclerosis, create thin, white patches of skin in the genital area and lead to chronic inflammation, itching and bruising. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) can also create urethral strictures.
Medical Complications
Certain treatments and surgeries can create scar tissue in the urethra that blocks urine flow, such as irritation from long-term catheters, kidney stone removal or prostate surgery. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms or previous surgery to remove or reduce an enlarged prostate gland can lead to strictures. Inserting an instrument, such as an endoscope, into the urethra may also be a cause.
Irregularities
Some people are born with improperly formed or irregular urinary structures and genitals. One example of this is Hypospadias, which is a congenital disorder where the opening of the urethra is located on the underside of the penis instead of the tip. Adults who were born with this condition will likely have more urethral strictures.
Damage or Trauma
Injury or trauma to the genital and pelvic area can cause strictures, such as falling, damage from surgical tools or being hit in the genitals.
Cancer
Urethral or prostate cancer can create many complications, such as scarring or an enlarged prostate, in the urethra, leading to strictures. Radiation therapy treatment used to kill cancer cells in this region can also cause urethral strictures. Just over 2% of prostate cancer patients3 can experience radiation-related urethral strictures.
In some cases, people with urethral stricture may not exhibit any symptoms. However, it’s common to experience a range from mild discomfort to extreme pain to complete urinary retention. Other common symptoms of urethral stricture include:
There are several ways for doctors to determine whether you have a urethral stricture, such as by conducting a physical exam or using ultrasound and X-rays to produce images of the urethra to locate the blockage. Doctors can also use a urinalysis (UA), urine culture or urethral culture to determine if you have a urethral stricture. Imaging and endoscopic examinations are often necessary to determine the cause of this condition.
Two other common procedures for urethral strictures are a urethroscopy and a retrograde urethrogram.
Men are most likely to be affected by urethral strictures than women because they have a longer urethra. This means their urine has to travel farther, which opens up more opportunities for their urethra to become damaged, infected or affected by urethral disease.
Though urethral strictures can affect women and children, it’s much rarer due to their short urethras. Female urethras are only about 1.5 inches long compared to the 7- to 10-inch range in males, which makes them less prone to injury and infection.
Among men and women, however, those who repeatedly develop infections, such as UTIs or urethritis, are more susceptible to developing urethral strictures. The same risk factor applies to those with poor hygiene.
Anterior urethral stricture is frustrating, painful, and exhausting for patients and doctors.
Slow starts, weak flow, painful urination, and dribbling can feel embarrassing. The same goes for daily self-catheterization at home, which isn’t a way of life.4 Or maybe you’re tired of getting dilated and ending up right back in a waiting room.
For urologists, it’s a tough conversation when the most they can offer is a temporary fix or scarier surgery. But left untreated, stricture can lead to organ damage and urinary tract infections.
Fundamentally, stricture is a scar tissue situation caused by injury, infection, and urological procedures like DVIU (direct vision internal urethrotomies), dilations, and surgery. They can scar during healing, so your stricture treatment could be why you’re back in the waiting room.
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1. DeLong J, et al. Outcomes of Bulbar Urethral Stricture Treatment With Optilume: ROBUST I Study Results. J Urol. 2025 Jan;213(1):90-8.
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324983
3. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsurg.2021.635060/full
4. Lubahn, J. D., Zhao, L. C., Scott, J. F., Hudak, S. J., Chee, J., Terlecki, R., Breyer, B. & Morey, A. F. (2014). Poor quality of life in patients with urethral stricture treated with intermittent self-dilation. The Journal of Urology, 191(1), 143–147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2013.06.054
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