Use of stents for treating obstruction of urinary outflow in patients unfit for surgery.

Transurethral resection is the most widely accepted treatment for obstruction of urinary outflow. The associated morbidity and mortality have led to a search for less invasive treatments. Expandable tubular stents of stainless steel mesh have been used successfully in patients with recurrent urethral strictures.' We assessed the safety and efficacy of these stents inserted into the prostatic urethra under topical anaesthesia in a group of patients considered to be unsuitable for surgery.