Practice patterns of preoperative hormonal stimulation in pediatric penile surgeries-A survey of Nigerian pediatric surgeons

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.

Effect of Preoperative Androgen Stimulation on Penile Size and Postoperative Complication Rate in Patients with Hypospadias: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To systematically review and evaluate the beneficial effects of preoperative androgen stimulation (PAS) on penile length, glans width, and postoperative complications in patients with hypospadias using meta-analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A comprehensive search of the published literature between 1980 and 2022 was done on PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and Proquest. Studies of patients with 5-alpha reductase deficiency, differentiation sex disorder, or micro-penis without hypospadias were excluded. The full-text screening, quality assessment, and data acquisition were done independently by two reviewers. Meta-analysis was done to quantify the penile growth and postoperative complications.

RESULTS

The initial literature search yielded 2,389 records, wherein 32 studies were eligible for the systematic review and meta-analysis. Preoperative testosterone stimulation increased the penile length and glans width by 9.34 mm (95% CI: 6.71-11.97) and 3.26 mm (95% CI: 2.50-4.02), respectively. A longer penis at the baseline led to greater length gain following treatment (1 mm longer at the baseline was likely to gain 0.5 mm more). However, the increase in penile length was not associated with the severity of hypospadias. While the treatment did not affect the overall complication rate, the postoperative fistula risk was lower in those receiving PAS (RR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.30-0.91, p=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

The beneficial effects of PAS on increasing the penile length and glans width were again confirmed. More gain of penile length was expected in the larger penis at baseline. There are no reported increased postoperative complications in association with PAS.

Defining the role of pre-operative hormonal therapy in hypospadias

In hypospadias surgery, pre-operative hormonal therapy (PHT) is primarily used to increase penile dimensions and the vascularity of tissues available for reconstruction, but its use is non-uniform in clinical practice, with no consensus on application or utility. This review aims to summarise: (i) the penile tissue response to hormone therapy, (ii) its impact on hypospadias surgery outcomes, and (iii) the endocrinological considerations and sequelae. PHT is more often indicated for complex cases such as proximal hypospadias, hypospadias with microphallus and hypospadias reoperations. While PHT has clear effects on penile morphometry, and more recent controlled trials suggest improved surgical outcomes, the lack of consistent outcome definitions and generally inadequate follow-up periods continue to consign many of the potential long-term effects of PHT to the unknown. There is currently insufficient robust evidence to allow a clinical guideline to be constructed. The need for a well-powered multi-centre prospective randomised trial to address this question is evident but awaits a unified consensus on issues surrounding the understanding of aetiology, classification of hypospadias morphology, definition of important prognostic variables and uniform application of outcome measures. The effects of PHT may be utilised to improve outcomes in cases of proximal and severe hypospadias, which under the current paradigm represent a significant surgical challenge.