Deep Phenotyping the Anterior Urethral Stricture: Characterizing the Relationship Between Inflammation, Fibrosis, Patient History and Disease Pathophysiology.

Abstract

Anterior urethral stricture disease (aUSD) is a complex, heterogeneous condition which is idiopathic in origin for most men. This gap in knowledge rarely affects the current management strategy for aUSD, as urethroplasty does not generally consider etiology. However, as we transition towards personalized, minimally invasive treatments for aUSD and begin to consider aUSD prevention strategies, disease pathophysiology will become increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to perform a deep phenotype of men undergoing anterior urethroplasty for aUSD. We hypothesized that unique biologic signatures and potential targets for intervention would emerge based on stricture presence/absence, stricture etiology, and the presence/absence of stricture inflammation.