Bougienage is one of the oldest procedures for the treatment of HRS. Here, the urethral stricture is dilated under local anesthesia by means of a probe..

This procedure causes innumerable microlesions in the stricture, which result in renewed scarring. The bougienage therefore always has only a temporary effect on the stenosis. Repeated treatments thus do not cure urethral stricture. They are therefore neither medically effective nor economical in the long term.¹ As a rule, recurrence of the stricture can be expected after four to six weeks at the latest.² This surgical technique should therefore be used primarily in older patients or those considered inoperable.³