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• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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Summary

The urethra is the tube that allows urine to pass out of the body. In men, it's a long tube that runs through the penis. It also carries semen in men. In women, it's short and is just above the vagina. Urethral problems may happen due to aging, illness, or injury. They include:

• Urethral cancer - a rare cancer that happens more often in men
• Urethral stricture - a narrowing of the opening of the urethra
• Urethritis - inflammation of the urethra, sometimes caused by infection

Urethral problems may cause pain or difficulty passing urine. You may also have bleeding or discharge from the urethra.

Doctors diagnose urethral problems using different tests. These include urine tests, x-rays and an examination of the urethra with a scope called a cystoscope. Treatment depends on the cause of the problem. It may include medicines and, in severe cases, surgery.

Start Here

• General Information about Urethral Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Tract and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Stages of Urethral Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Tract Imaging (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Treatment Option Overview (Urethral Cancer) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Urinary Retention (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Urethral Injuries (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Urethral Stricture (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Urethritis (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urethral Diseases (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urethral Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Current practice of diagnosis and treatment for rectourethral fistula in male...
• Article: Eighteen years of experience in laparoscopic implantation of artificial urinary sphincter...
• Article: Antibiotic overuse, poor antimicrobial stewardship, and low specificity of syndromic case...
• Urethral Disorders -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Kidneys and Urinary Tract (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Blocked Urethral Valves (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Hydronephrosis in Newborns (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) Also in Spanish
• Pediatric VCUG (Voiding Cystourethrogram) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Chlamydial infections - male (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Epispadias (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Meatal stenosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Self catheterization - female (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Self catheterization - male (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Traumatic injury of the bladder and urethra (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urethral discharge culture (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urethral stricture (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urethritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish