Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Urethral Disorders
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.
It sits within Kidneys and Urinary System.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Urethral Disorders
457 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Enfortumab Vedotin Plus Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Locally Advanced or Metastatic Bladder Cancer of Variant HistologyEmory University
- Testing the Effectiveness of Two Immunotherapy Drugs (Nivolumab and Ipilimumab) With One Anti-cancer Targeted Drug (Cabozantinib) for Rare Genitourinary TumorsNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- ProVee Urethral Expander System IDE Study (ProVIDE)ProVerum Medical
- Photon-Counting Computed Tomography-Based Urethral Visualization Without Catheterization for Radiotherapy Planning: A Prospective Pilot Study Under ANTHEMIstituto Clinico Humanitas
- Safety and Feasibility Study of Autologous Engineered Urethral Constructs for the Treatment of StricturesWake Forest University Health Sciences
- MRI-guided Transurethral Urethral Ultrasound Ablation for the Treatment of Low to Intermediate Grade Prostate CancerMayo Clinic
Research already completed
- Gemcitabine, Carboplatin, and Lenalidomide for Treatment of Advanced/Metastatic Urothelial Cancer and Other Solid TumorsNational Cancer Institute (NCI)
- Impact of Anterior Urethral Suspension Combined With Pelvic Fascia Reconstruction During Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy on Early Postoperative Urinary Continence Recovery: A Single-Center, Prospective, Single-Arm Clinical StudyCancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Urinary Tract and How It WorksNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Diagnosis and Tests
- Cystoscopy and UreteroscopyNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- Stages of Urethral CancerNational Cancer Institute
- Urinary Tract ImagingNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Treatments and Therapies
- Treatment Option Overview (Urethral Cancer)National Cancer Institute
Related Issues
- Urinary RetentionNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Genetics
- Congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract: MedlinePlus GeneticsNational Library of Medicine
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Urethral DiseasesNational Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Urethral NeoplasmsNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Urethral Diseases. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Urethral Disorders, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.