[Surgical treatment of urethral stenosis. Results of 100 urethroplasties]

Abstract

Background: We report our results after 100 urethroplasties for the treatment of urethral stricture both at the bulbar and penile urethra, using different techniques.

Methods: 100 patients with the diagnosis of anterior urethral stricture, that were submitted for urethroplasty in the period 1997-2007. Of them, 57 treated by end to end urethroplasty. 4 patients underwent augmented free graft anastomotic urethroplasty. Buccal mucosa free graft was used in 16 patients and penile skin onlay flap in 23.

Results: We have obtained 84% good results overall. In patients undergoing end to end urethroplasty we obtained 91.2% success rate. We had 75 % of good results with the free graft anastomosis. In the cases in which we used buccal mucosa patch we obtained 90% success in bulbar urethra and 67 % in penile urethra. When we used onlay flaps good results were 70.6% in penile urethra and 66,7% in bulbar urethra.

Conclusions: Open surgery is the best form of treatment for urethral strictures. The anastomotic urethroplasty is the technique that, applied in bulbar urethra, enables better results. For strictures over two centimeters we have other procedures of choice in penile urethra, pediculated skin flaps, except in cases with Lichen Esclerosus, in which the use of buccal mucosa as a graft is preferable, and in the bulbar urethra in which augmented onlay graft urethroplasty or free grafts, mainly buccal mucosa, are preferred. In long and complex strictures, the option that we must contemplate is two-stage surgery. Any type of urethroplasty can fail, and this risk increases as the time passes.