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Van Buren Sound

Curved-tip, tapered metal sound in sequential French sizes — a workhorse for urethral dilation and for defining the normal-caliber urethra at urethroplasty.

Design​

  • Metal sound with a tip-concentrated curve (most of the shaft is straight)
  • Tapered from tip to shaft — each size passes progressively further into the urethra
  • Graduated set in French sizes

Limitation for Posterior Urethroplasty​

The Van Buren's curve is concentrated at its tip and does not follow the path from the suprapubic approach to the membranous urethra in a patient positioned in exaggerated lithotomy. For that application, the Haygrove sound — with its full-length semicircular profile — is preferred.

Key Uses​

  • Urethral dilation (where still indicated)
  • Intraoperative calibration during anterior urethroplasty
  • Exchange sound during urethral instrumentation

Named for William Holme Van Buren (1819–1883), New York surgeon and early American urologic educator.

See also: Haygrove Sound, Guyon Sound.