Medical uses for silver nitrate in the urinary tract (Review)

Abstract

Silver nitrate has been used for centuries for the treatment of a variety of diseases and in the prevention of infection. Silver nitrate exerts astringent, cauterizing and corrosive effects, as well as antimicrobial activities. Silver nitrate injection therapy has a long history of use in urology. It is reportedly effective for hemorrhagic cystitis, interstitial cystitis, renal hematuria and chyluria. The present review article summarizes the medical applications of silver nitrate in urology. The published studies available on the medical uses of silver nitrate are essentially older and retrospective, involving smaller numbers of patients. In the absence of comparative studies with other treatments, it is thus impossible to determine the relative benefits of silver nitrate. However, the outcomes of silver nitrate therapy have been fairly well established. Silver nitrate therapy may prove to be a treatment option for patients who are poor candidates for invasive treatment. Further studies on the uses of silver nitrate however, are required, and improvements also need to be made in the injection technique to reduce the rate of complications.