The intermittent rapid dilation of urethral stricture / by Otis K. Newell.

  • Newell, Otis Kimball.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The intermittent rapid dilation of urethral stricture / by Otis K. Newell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    THE INTERMITTENT RAPID DILATATION OF URETHRAL STRICTURE. With the multiplicity of modern medical communica- tions it is essential to be as brief as possible in the pres- entation of any matter which we may deem worthy of professional attention. I shall, therefore, as concisely as possible, describe what I consider to be an improved method of treating such urethral strictures as come within a class to be later described. However much or little interest one may take in the treatment of urethral stricture, it is certainly a serious disease if allowed to progress neglected to its harmful late effects, and one which every surgeon meets in large num- bers and to which in polyclinic, hospital, and private practice, he must devote much valuable time. It would be well, therefore, if possible, to have a uniform method of treatment. Under the present exact conditions of surgery, where all sorts of instruments can be sterilized and bladders and urethrae so successfully disinfected, I imagine that a fairer and more scientific comparison of methods will soon bring this desired result about. First, I think it is fair to claim, and I certainly do so as far as my knowledge and experience go, that true or- ganic urethral stricture, like oesophageal and rectal, is an incurable condition, except possibly by plastic operation, and one which if neglected will sooner or later return to its original or even a worse condition. It is at the same time more easily controlled under proper management than any of the others. Now, as to the treatment of stricture, I think most sur- geons will to-day agree that the best is gradual dilatation through the introduction of metallic sounds wherever progress can so be made. I have never seen a case