The authors report a series of 132 patients with urethral stricture all treated by the same surgical technique between 1979 and 1984: direct vision internal urethrotomy. 62% of good results were obtained after a single operation with a follow-up ranging between 18 months and 5 years. There was no mortality and the morbidity was considered to be 5%. The authors indicate that the results were more favourable when the operation was performed in a solitary, short (less than 2 cm) non-infected stricture of the proximal urethra. The duration of postoperative catheterization was 10 days; catheterization for a longer period did not provide any significant advantage. The poor results (38%) were reported in cases of extensive strictures situated in the distal urethra or in patients with a history of urethral surgery. These cases were treated by repeated internal urethrotomy; 32% were cured after a second urethrotomy, while the others required maintenance sessions of urethral dilatation or even a urethroplasty procedure.