Urethroplasty Cost in India

The cost of urethroplasty in India typically ranges from $500 to $6,000 USD, depending on the hospital, city, and type of procedure.

Urethroplasty is reconstructive surgery to repair a narrowing (stricture) of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder. The cost usually depends on:

• Type of repair: joining the ends of the urethra or using a graft.
• Length and position of the stricture: longer strictures are more complex.
• Graft: often tissue from the inside of the cheek (buccal mucosa).
• Hospital stay and catheter care: several days in hospital, then weeks with a catheter.

A urethral stricture can cause a weak urine flow, straining, spraying and urinary infections. It may result from injury, infection, inflammation or previous procedures.

Simpler treatments, such as stretching (dilatation) or cutting the stricture through a telescope (urethrotomy), are sometimes used first, but strictures often return after them.

Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust describes two main types:

• Anastomotic urethroplasty: the narrow section is removed and the healthy ends are joined.
• Buccal graft urethroplasty: the narrow area is widened with a graft taken from the inside of the cheek.

The operation is done under general anaesthetic.

Newcastle Hospitals reports a hospital stay of about 3 to 4 days. A catheter stays in for 2 to 3 weeks, and an X-ray test (urethrogram) is done at around 3 weeks to check healing before removal.

The leaflet reports that the stricture can come back in up to 20% of cases. Other possible effects include changes in erections and dribbling after passing urine.