A comparative study of the use of a transverse preputial island flap (the Duckett technique) to treat primary and secondary hypospadias in older Chinese patients with severe chordee

Risk factors and timing of complication presentation following primary hypospadias repair in adolescents

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the risk factors for postoperative complications in adolescents who undergo primary hypospadias repair and determine the time required for complication detection.

METHODS

Our study included patients classified as Tanner stages three to five who underwent primary hypospadias repairs at our hospital from January 2015 to August 2022. The patients' baseline information, clinical characteristics, postoperative complications, and time to complication detection were collected. Cox regression analysis, ROC curves, Kaplan-Meier survival analyses, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used.

RESULTS

The study comprised 143 patients, with a median age of 12.58 years. Postoperative complications were experienced by 66 patients. The length of the urethral defect was identified as an independent risk factor for postoperative complications. The ROC curve analysis identified 3 cm as the optimal cutoff value for the length of the urethral defect. The median time to complication detection was 30.5 days (IQR 23 to 209.25). 89.4% of the complications were identified within the first year. Patients with a urethral defect of <3 cm experienced a significantly longer time for the detection of urethral fistula compared to those with a urethral defect of ≥3 cm (p = 0.047).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate that adolescents with a urethral defect ≥3 cm have a higher risk of postoperative complications. Although most complications were identified within the first year, conducting long-term follow-ups for adolescents is recommended to identify potential subsequent complications that may arise from persistent urethral alterations.

Efficacy of Body Wash and Povidone-Iodine in Skin Preparation in Reducing Surgical Site Infections After Hypospadias Repair Among Adolescents: A Prospective Cohort Study With Retrospective Controls

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) that occur after hypospadias repair frequently result in incision healing complications, especially during puberty. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of twice-daily pre-operative skin preparation using body wash and povidone-iodine within 48 hours before hypospadias repair with regard to infection rates in adolescents. Patients and Methods: Prospective recruitment included patients in Tanner stages 3 to 5 undergoing hypospadias repair from January 2015 to January 2021. The experimental group comprised patients who performed twice-daily skin preparation with body wash and povidone-iodine within 48 hours before surgery. Surgeons selected either 0.5% or 5% povidone-iodine for skin preparation. The control group comprised a retrospective cohort of hypospadias repair conducted in the preceding five years, where patients performed pre-surgery evening showers using a body wash. Complications were collected over a six-month follow-up period. Results: The study included 90 patients in the 0.5% povidone-iodine group, 92 patients in the 5% povidone-iodine group, and 84 patients in the control group. Differences were observed among the groups in terms of SSI (p = 0.030) and urethral fistula (p = 0.019). In post hoc tests, only the 5% povidone-iodine group demonstrated a diminished incidence of SSI (p = 0.009) and urethral fistula (p = 0.005) in comparison to the control group. Conclusions: Using body wash and 5% povidone-iodine for skin preparation was associated with a reduction in the incidence of SSI and urethral fistula following hypospadias repair in adolescents and may be considered to improve outcomes.

Preoperative hormone therapy in single-stage repair of hypospadias: A comprehensive systematic review

INTRODUCTION

Preoperative hormone therapy (PHT) holds promise for obtaining better surgical conditions for patients undergoing hypospadias correction and increasing the success rate. However, the application and effects of PHT remain uncertain owing to a lack of comprehensive evaluation, thus limiting treatment strategies and development of standardized guidelines. This study aimed to review the following (ⅰ) the criteria and regimens of PHT (ⅱ) its impact on penile growth, postoperative complications, and side effects (ⅲ) and sources of inconsistent clinical outcomes.

METHODS

This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022346924) and conducted and reported following international recommendations, including the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement. We searched the databases over the last two decades to identify eligible studies. This systematic review included literature regarding the use of PHT in the treatment of children with single stage hypospadias repair. Risk of Bias (RoB) was measured using two different tools: randomized controlled trials using a modified version of the RoB Assessment Tool and non-randomized studies of interventions using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I). The R-3.6.3 software was used for the analysis.

RESULTS

In total, 25 studies involving 4094 patients were included in the systematic review. The surgeons' criteria for using PHT varied, with short penile length being the most important. The most frequently reported regimens for intramuscular (IM) testosterone were either 2 mg/kg or empiric 25 mg monthly, and the duration was 2-3 months preoperatively. Androgens were significantly effective in improving penile development, and the changes commonly peaked at 2-3 months. The effects of PHT on complications and side effects are controversial, and the potential causes include hormone sensitivity, degree of hypospadias, surgical techniques, and dosing regimens.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review evaluated PHT in children with hypospadias. Building on previous studies, this review provides a more specific attitude and possible aspects for resolving the controversies. Future studies should identify the applicable subgroups of patients and standardize the dose and mode of delivery for the best clinical results.

Complication rates of proximal hypospadias: meta-analyses of four surgical repairs

INTRODUCTION

Proximal hypospadias surgery is impacted by a high complication rate. The goal of this work was to assess the overall composite complication rate, fistula rate and stenosis rate following proximal hypospadias surgery realized according to onlay urethroplasty, Duckett, Koyanagi and Bracka techniques.

METHODS

The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Sciencedirect were searched. Studies had to report data about the mean age of population, the average duration of patient follow-up and the number of procedures required for surgical treatment of primary and proximal hypospadias. Two independent including one urologist reviewers screened all the articles and selected the articles to be included.

RESULTS

Overall composite complication rates were 32%, 34%, 49%, and 43%, for Onlay urethroplasty, Duckett's tubularized flaps urethroplasty, Koyanagi repair and Bracka 2 stages repair, respectively. Fistula rates were 13%, 18%, 21% and 23% respectively. The heterogeneity of complication rates reported in the different studies was not moderated by age, country, or patient's continent origin.

DISCUSSION

The classifications of complications used in articles were disparate and make comparisons between techniques difficult. The report of post-surgical complications in the literature is often poorly coded and follow-up times were often too short.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis attempts to determine to the extent possible, given the serious weaknesses in the hypospadias literature, plausible estimates of complication rates after skin flap urethroplasty. The patched onlay skin flap, the Duckett's tubularized skin flap technique, the Koyanagi's technique, and the Bracka's two-stage urethroplasty procedure lead to very high complication rates. Reported complication rates are comparable across techniques.

A multicenter study on surgical procedure selection and risk factor analysis of postoperative complications after TIP and Duckett hypospadias repair

BACKGROUND

Hypospadias is a common congenital malformation in pediatric urology with surgery being the only curative treatment. Although there are hundreds of surgical methods for hypospadias, no single method can treat all types, and there are still high rates of postoperative complications. We performed this study to investigate surgical procedure selection and perform risk factor analysis of postoperative complications in hypospadias repair.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was performed of complete clinical and follow-up data of children with hypospadias who were treated and followed up at 15 children's clinical centers in Mainland China from December 2018 to December 2019. Children were divided into groups according to Barcat classification and surgical methods in order to analyze the surgical choice for different types of hypospadias and the influencing factors of different surgical methods for complications.

RESULTS

In total, 1011 patients were followed up for 26 months. According to Barcat classification, there were 248 cases of distal type hypospadias, 214 of intermediate, and 549 of proximal type. Transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty (Duckett) and tubularized incised plate urethroplasty (TIP) were performed in 375 (37.1%) and 336 cases (33.2%), respectively. The postoperative complication rate of distal hypospadias was 23.4% (15.8-57.1%), mid shaft 29.0% (22.7-40.0%), and proximal 43.7% (30.2-52.9%). Among the 375 patients in Duckett group, 192 had complications. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the length of prepuce island flap (OR = 3.506, 95% CI: 2.258-5.442) was an independent risk factor for complications after Duckett operation (P < 0.001). In TIP group, there were 336 cases with 84 complications. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that the width of urethral plate after longitudinal resection (OR = 0.836, 95% CI: 0.742-0.942) and glans width (OR = 0.851, 95% CI: 0.749-0.965) were independent risk factors for postoperative complications after TIP (P = 0.003, P = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

Several anatomical features play a role during the selection process among the different surgical approaches, including glans size, urethral plate width, and the meatal position. The width of the urethral plate and glans width were risk factors for postoperative complications after TIP. The length of prepuce island flap was a risk factor for complications after Duckett operation.

The Effect of the Duckett procedure on the Outcome and Prognosis of Children with Suburethral Cleft

Background

Hypospadias is one of the most common malformations of the male genitourinary system. In recent years, the incidence of hypospadias is increasing year by year, which seriously affects normal urination and sexual function. Repairing hypospadias has always been a challenge in paediatric urology, requiring a variety of surgical techniques and science and art that requires intensive study. Despite the availability of over 300 surgical procedures and continuous improvement, there is still a high level of surgical complications. It is crucial to choose an appropriate and effective surgical method for the treatment of hypospadias.

Aims

This study aimed to investigate the outcome and prognosis of children with hypospadias, using transverse cut foreskin island flap coiled urethroplasty (the Duckett procedure).

Materials and Methods

A retrospective study was conducted on 100 children with hypospadias who underwent surgery in our hospital from December 2018 to December 2021. Based on the degree of hypospadias and the degree of penile curvature both in line with the Duckett procedure, the comparison group was treated with a one-stage Duckett procedure and the treatment group was treated with a staged Duckett procedure. The differences in the surgical condition, inflammatory factor levels, and complications between the two groups of children were observed and compared.

Results

The length of hospital stay and VAS score in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group, and the operation time and intraoperative bleeding were higher than those in the control group, with a statistical significance (P < 0.05). The success rate of one operation was higher than that of the comparison group, but the statistical comparison was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the inflammatory response between the two groups before surgery (P > 0.05), while the difference in CRP, IL-6, and calcitoninogen between the two groups after surgery was significant and lower in the comparison group than in the treatment group, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The clinical outcome of the children in both groups showed that the excellent rate of 92.00% in the treatment group was significantly higher than that of 74.00% in the comparison group, while the incidence of complications was significantly lower than that of the comparison group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Complications in children with poor surgical outcomes in both groups occurred mainly, early urethral stricture and cured by urethral dilatation or condition without improvement cured by urethrotomy.

Conclusion

A comparative study of hypospadias treated with the staged Duckett procedure was more effective in relieving postoperative pain and inflammatory reactions in children, reducing postoperative complications and improving healing efficiency, providing some reference value for hypospadias surgery.

Reoperation frequency after transverse preputial Island flap urethroplasty "Duckett's technique" in treatment of severe hypospadias: A single center study

PURPOSE

Transverse Preputial Island Flap Urethroplasty (TPIFU) is one of the most common techniques for treating severe hypospadias. Studies on the reoperation frequency after TPIFU is lacking. In the present study, we reported our clinical outcomes of severe hypospadias treated with one-staged TPIFU and analyzed the operation frequency.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of severe hypospadias patients who underwent one-stage TPIFU from December 2018 to December 2019 in the department of Urology at Beijing Children's Hospital. A stepwise approach was used to manage the curvature. Severe hypospadias was defined as those residual curvature was higher than 30° after degloving. Urethroplasty complications included fistula, urethral stricture, and diverticulum. The short-term cure was identified as no complications occurring for 12 months after the date of last-time surgery. The reoperation rate and operation frequency of TPIFU were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 136 patients who underwent one-stage TPIFU were included in the study. The follow-up after primary urethroplasty ranged from 22 to 50 months. The median age at primary surgery was 22.5 months (range from 13 to 132 months). After primary TPIFU surgery, 53 (39%) patients underwent additional surgical interventions to treat postoperative complications. Among them, 24 patients (17.6%) developed fistula, 17 patients (12.5%) developed urethral stricture and 11 patients (8.1%) developed diverticulum. After the second surgery, five patients remained fistula, five patients remained urethral stricture, and seven patients remained diverticulum. Overall, 61% (85 patients) met the cured standard after the primary operation, and the two operations cure rate was 87.5% (119 patients). 91.2% (124 patients) were cured in three operations.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the complication rates after primary TPIFU were relatively high, more than half of patients achieved short-term cured through a single operation, and the cure rate after two or three operations was acceptable.

Hypospadias treatment by tubulated pedicled preputial island flap according to the DUCKETT technique: single-center experience in sub-Saharan Africa

Background

Hypospadias is the second most frequent congenital condition in boys after cryptorchidism, with an incidence of 0.3–0.7% compared to 2–4% for cryptorchidism. Since the 1980s, single-stage operations, such as the one described by Duckett, have been adopted by some authors. To assess the results of hypospadias surgery by tubed pedicled preputial island flap (DUCKETT’s procedure) in a West African reference hospital.

Methods

This is a retrospective and descriptive study that includes 41 patients with hypospadias who underwent DUCKETT procedure by a tubed pedicled preputial island flap during a period of 12 years. After penile degloving, the curvature has been corrected by skin bridging with or without Nesbit’s plication. The urethroplasty was done according to the DUCKETT procedure.

Results

The patients mean age was 11 ± 8.5 years. All of them had posterior foreskin and a ventral curvature of the penis. The urethral meatus was posterior in 37%. Six of them had a previous hypospadias repair. The complication rate was 58.5%. Wound infection and meatal stenosis occurred in 14.6% and 19.6% of cases, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 20 ± 9 months, total success, relative success and failure rates were 63%, 27% and 10%, respectively.

Conclusion

The DUCKETT procedure is associated with a high complication rate in our daily practice.

Comparison of continuous eversion and inverting subepithelial suture in transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty in proximal hypospadias repair: A retrospective study

Introduction:

Transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty (TPIFU) is one of the most frequently performed technique for single-stage repair in proximal hypospadias. It was reported that the subepithelial urethroplasty would obviously decrease urethrocutaneous fistula (UF) complication after proximal TIP. But in the process of TPIFU, it had not been reported yet.

Objective:

We reviewed our experience to evaluate and compare the effect of continuous eversion suture (CES) versus continuous inversion subepithelial suture (CIS) on complication rates in the TPIFU.

Material and methods:

A retrospective review of all patients operated with CES and CIS in our institution between January 2017 and Jun 2017 was performed.

Results:

A total of 161 patients were enrolled in the research. Patients were followed up for 12~17 months. Total success rate was 73.9% (119/161). No statistically difference was found between the two groups with regard to age of patients (P=0.097), catheter size (P=0.52), time of catheterization (P=0.47), length of neourethra (P=0.20), non-urethral comorbidity (P=0.44) and post-operative infection (P=1.0). The overall postoperative complications had no statistically difference between the two groups (P=0.067). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of urethra-cutaneous fistula (UF) (OR=0.07, 95% CI: -0.24~0.037, P=0.22), urethral diverticulum (UD) (OR=0.026, 95% CI: -0.16~-0.056, P=0.323), urethral stricture (US) (OR=0.081, 95% CI: -0.15~0.15, P=1.0) and breakdown of urethral repair (BU) (OR=0.02, 95% CI: -0.118~-0.044, P=1.0).

Discussion:

The comparison of two group’s postoperative complications was feasible because there were no statistically differences among perioperative variables. It seemed as if continuous inversion subepithelial suture would promote healing. However, it indicated that the overall success rate and the incidences of UF, UD, US and BU complications had no statistically difference between groups. It might be accounted for the subtle differences of techniques changing the process of establishing prime and side branches vascularization.

Conclusions:

The CIS technique had no significantly different effect on the four complications rates when compared with CES in TPIFU. Thus, CES and CIS could be randomly adopted in TPIFU as personal preference.

Staged male genital reconstruction with a local flap and free oral graft: a case report and literature review

Background

Male genital skin loss is a common disease in urology. However, male genital skin loss accompanying a penile urethra defect is rarely reported. Herein, we describe a novel surgical technique using a composite local flap and oral mucosal graft to reconstruct the penis, which may provide a new solution for patients with similar conditions.

Case presentation

A 36-year-old male with a penile urethra defect and a large area of genital skin loss required urethral reconstruction. The meatus had descended to the penoscrotal junction. This procedure was divided into three stages. The first stage of the surgery involved burying the nude penile shaft beneath the skin of the left anteromedial thigh for coverage of the skin defect. The second stage consisted of releasing the penis and expanding the size of the urethral plate for further urethroplasty. The third stage consisted of reconstruction of the anterior urethra 6 months later. Postoperatively, the patient reported satisfactory voiding. The maximal flow rate (MFR) was 22.2 ml/s with no postvoiding residual urine at the 24-month follow-up visit. No edema, infection, hemorrhage, or cicatricial retraction were observed. The patient’s erectile function was satisfactory, and his international index of erectile function-5 score (IIEF-5 score) was 23 at the 24-month follow-up visit. Additionally, the presence of nocturnal penile tumescence demonstrated that he had normal erectile function.

Conclusions

This procedure is an effective surgical option for men with complete foreskin and penile urethra defects. It could also be extended as a treatment strategy when composite local or pedicle transposition flaps and free grafts are needed for specific patients.

The hypospadias classification affected the surgical outcomes of staged oral mucosa graft urethroplasty in hypospadias reoperation: An observational study

The staged graft urethroplasty is a recommended technique for repairing complex hypospadias. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the outcomes of this technique in hypospadias patients undergoing reoperation and to analyze the underlying contributing factors including age, meatus location, and graft and suture type.We retrospectively analyzed 40 hypospadias patients undergoing reoperation who received a staged oral graft urethroplasty, including 15 buccal mucosal grafts and 25 lingual mucosal grafts. Median age at presentation was 18.5 years, and median follow-up was 17.5 months (range 8-30 months). The patients were classified according to their original meatus location.Twenty-five complications developed in 12 of 40 (30%) cases, including 6 fistulas (15%), 7 infections (17.5%), 9 cases of glans dehiscence (22.5%), and 3 cases of stenosis (7.5%). There was no significant difference in the overall complication rates between prepuberty and postpuberty groups. In addition, no significant difference in complications was found between the 2 graft techniques. The complications were significantly higher in the original perineal type compared with the original penoscrotal type (7/10 vs 5/30, P = .0031). Seven patients who originally had perineal hypospadias developed multiple complications.Based on this study, the staged graft urethroplasty is an effective technique in reoperative hypospadias repairs with reasonable complication risk. The hypospadias classification affects the surgical outcomes.

Surgical Repair of Mid-shaft Hypospadias Using a Transverse Preputial Island Flap and Pedicled Dartos Flap Around Urethral Orifice

OBJECT

To evaluate the effects, particularly the incidence of anastomotic fistula, of a pedicled dartos flap around the urethral orifice in the treatment of urethroplasty of mid-shaft hypospadias.

METHODS

A total of 46 cases of congenital mid-shaft hypospadias were included in this study. The patients ranged in age from 0.7 to 25.4 years and the average was 5.8 years. The patients received penis chordee correction. A transverse preputial island flap was developed for urethral reconstruction. The proximal dartos of the urethral orifice was used to develop a pedicled dartos flap, which was transposed to cover and strengthen neourethral anastomosis. The ventral penile skin defect was repaired by another flap.

RESULTS

The 46 patients were examined during follow-up visits for 6 months to 3 years. An anastomotic fistula was observed in one case (2.2 %). Scar healing without fistula was observed in another patient due to poor blood supply to part of the ventral penile skin. No other incidences of fistula, urethral rupture, flap necrosis, wound infections, urinary tract (meatal) stenosis, or urethral diverticulum were observed in the patients.

CONCLUSION

A pedicled dartos flap around the urethral orifice can take advantage of well-vascularized local tissue to add a protective layer to the proximal aspect of the neourethral anastomosis for reducing the incidence of anastomotic fistula in mid-shaft hypospadias repair using a transverse preputial island flap.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V

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Surgery for Primary Proximal Hypospadias with Ventral Curvature >30°

This review discusses means for straightening ventral curvature >30°, and then subsequent urethroplasty using either one-stage flaps or two-stage flaps or grafts. The wide variation in reported results from these various techniques makes determination of best management difficult; however, it is clear that complications for repairs done in major centers can range to ≥50%. Given the rarity of proximal hypospadias with ventral curvature >30°, which occurs in approximately 400 newborns annually in the USA, centers should refer these cases to subspecialists within the group who can then develop and maintain expertise.

Two-stage urethroplasty is a better choice for proximal hypospadias with severe chordee after urethral plate transection: a single-center experience

It is still debatable whether single- or two-stage urethroplasty is a more suitable technique for treating hypospadias with severe chordee after urethral plate transection. This retrospective study evaluated these two techniques. A total of 66 patients of proximal hypospadias with severe chordee were divided into two groups according to the techniques they underwent: 32 and 34 patients underwent single-stage (Duckett) or two-stage urethroplasty, respectively. Median ages at presentation were 7.5 years and 11.0 years in single-stage and two-stage repair groups, respectively. Median follow-ups were 28.5 months (20-60 months) and 35 months (18-60 months) in the single-stage and two-stage groups, respectively. The meatus of the neourethra was located at the top of the glans in all patients. No recurrence of chordee was found during follow-up, and all patients or parents were satisfied with the penile length and appearance. Complications were encountered in eight patients in both groups, with no statistically significant differences between the two techniques. The late complication rate of stricture was higher after the single-stage procedure (18.75% vs 0%). The complication rate after single-stage repairs was significantly lower in the prepubescent subgroup (10.52%) than in the postpubescent cohort (46.15%). These results indicate that the urethral plate transection effectively corrects severe chordee associated with proximal hypospadias during the intermediate follow-up period. Considering the higher rate of stricture after single-stage urethroplasty, two-stage urethroplasty is recommended for proximal hypospadias with severe chordee after urethral plate transection.