Buccal Mucosa Onlay Graft for Complex Urethral Reconstruction

Summary:

We evaluated the use of buccal mucosa grafts in complex urethral reconstruction in 30 cases of hypospadias and 28 cases of open urethral strictures repairs with a mean post-operative follow-up of 14.2 months. The overall complication rate was 12 % with 4 fistulas, 1 meatal stenosis, and 2 stricture recurrencies. 3 of the 4 fistulas occurred in those 3 hypospadias patients who had received a urethral substitution with a tubularized buccal mucosa graft repair while the remaining group of 27 patients with an onlay graft showed only 1 fistula. These favorable results prompted us to use buccal mucosa as the method of choice in urethral reconstruction in an onlay fashion with avoidance of tubularized repairs. The definite value of this technique, however, will only become evident with a longer follow-up.

Key words:

Hypospadias - Urethral strictures - Buccal mucosa