Acharya Sushrut – the father of surgery had mentioned excellent procedures for the management of many surgical disorders. Many herbal or mineral drugs are in use for several medical or surgical disorders since ancient times, particularly where modern line of treatment has limitations either in the form of recurrences or complications. The information is passed down by the word of mouth from generation to generation. To establish the effectiveness of these surgical and parasurgical procedures with full evidence, thorough scientific studies are required.
Urethral stricture is a condition where modern surgical or parasurgical procedures pose many difficulties and complications. Acharya Sushrut and Charak had recommended uttarbasti for the management of many urinary tract disorders. Uttarbasti is-
Up till now more than 1500 patients were treated by this procedure. Nearly fifteen patients from abroad treated successfully. No recurrences were observed. The data of 406 patients is statistically analyzed.
While working in department of Shalyatantra (Surgery in Ayurveda) a number of patients reported having mutrakrichra (difficulty in urination). Most of them are mainly of mutramarga sankoch. (stricture urethra). Such complaints are increasing mainly due to Ioterogenic, traumatic or secondary to disease caused by unsafe sex practice, reinforced by busy life leading to vegadharana (Supression of urges to urinate and defecate) and ill nourishment.
In modern surgery, common treatment for urethral stricture is palliative i.e. dilatation of urethra with regular interval.
Repeated instrumentation carries the risk of local trauma, false passage formation, and introduction of infection. Long term use of antibiotics and alkalizes change the pH of urine which may in turn lead to bacterial resistant.
Apart from dilatation of urethra, there are many modalities of treatment i.e. internal urethrotomy, urethroplasty which are performed at specialized centre only and are out of reach of common man due to high cost of treatment. Moreover the results of these modalities of treatment are variable and commencing.
Recurrence and least encouraging result of urethral dilatation lead to think for procedure, which may prove remedy for mutrakrichra(difficulty in urination) in the form of uttarbasti which is described by Sushruta under of ‘shasti upakramas’ which is unique treatment of vrana.
WHO is encouraging for research of effective traditional and indigenous medicine and treatment for various diseases. Uttarbasti karma in mutramarga sankoch (urethral stricture) may prove an effective non-recurring mode of treatment for the same
