Risk Factors for Urethrocutaneous Fistula Repair After Hypospadias Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Analysis in the influence factors of urethroplasty in DSD

Background

At present, there is no specific research on the factors affecting the success rate of urethroplasty in patients with DSD. The purpose of this study is to explore the factors affecting the success of urethroplasty in DSD patients, and to provide some reference for the surgical treatment of DSD patients undergoing urethroplasty.

Method

We reviewed patients with DSD who underwent urethroplasty from January 2016 to December 2019 retrospectively. Patients were divided into four groups: the successful group, the urethrocutaneous fistula group, the urethral diverticulum group, and the urethral stricture group. Risk factors were determined from the following data included the DSD classification, the age of first operation, length of urethral defect, degree of hypospadias, cryptorchidism, micropenis, gonad type, hormone therapy before operation, transposition of penis and scrotum, surgical strategy, urethral covering material, and postoperative catheter removal time. We explored the difference of each factor between four groups through the comparative study of single factor and multifactor logistic regression analysis of related factors.

Result

122 cases were enrolled in this group (n = 122), 12 cases were lost to follow-up. Median follow-up was 28 months (12–55 months).We found the success rate of operation decreased with longer urethral defect (B = − 0.473, P = 0.005). The success rate of operation was higher in staged operation and TPIT (TPIT = Transverse Preputial Island Tube operation)-related operation than primary operation (B = 1.238, P = 0.006) and TPIT-nonrelated operation (B = 2.293, P = 0.001). Although there was a significant difference between the age of the first operation and the occurrence of urethrocutaneous fistula (P = 0.006 < 0.05), there was no significant difference in logistic regression analysis (P = 0.161 > 0.05). The incidence of urethrocutaneous fistula was lower in TPIT-related operation than in TPIT-nonrelated operation (B = − 2.507, P = 0.000). The incidence of postoperative urethral diverticulum was lower in staged operation than in primary operation (B = − 1.737, P = 0.015).

Conclusion

For patients with disorder of sex development undergoing urethroplasty, the length of urethral defect is an independent risk factor affecting both the success rate of operation and the urethrocutaneous fistula. The age of the first operation has a statistically significant effect on the occurrence of postoperative urethrocutaneous fistula, but it is not an independent factor. Urethrocutaneous fistula is less found in TPIT-related operation in the study. Staged operation is an independent protective factor for postoperative urethral diverticulum compared with one-stage operation but isn’t related to urethrocutaneous fistula.

An atypical complication after hypospadias repair: A combined dorsal and lateral subcoronal urethrocutaneous fistulas

Urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) is one of the most common complications of hypospadias repair (HR). We present an unusual combined lateral and dorsal subcoronal (CLDSC) UCFs. Dorsal UCF has not been reported in children yet. A 10-year-old patient was admitted with the complaint of CLDSC UCFs following HR. A long fistula tract from the urethral meatus to the dorsal fistula orifice was excised together with urethroplasty. The patient did well postoperatively. Dorsal penile UCF is an unusual complication; but if it occurs, total excision of the fistula tract together with urethroplasty could be considered to prevent further complications.

The Application of Multilayer Direct Closure With a Longitudinal Relaxing Incision in Urethrocutaneous Fistula Repair

The simple closure of a urethrocutaneous fistula is technically easy, but direct suture tension is associated with a higher urethral fistula recurrence rate. We describe a multilayer direct closure with a longitudinal relaxing incision in urethrocutaneous fistula repair, avoiding the tension associated with the direct suturing of the surgical skin wound. From March 2015 to January 2018, 46 urethrocutaneous fistulas in 34 patients were repaired at the Hypospadias Center of our hospital. During the operations, after the urethral fistula closure, a longitudinal penile skin incision was created 0.5 to 1.5 cm from the edge of the surgical wound. The penile skin wound was closed, and the longitudinal penile skin incision made during the operation was used as a relaxing incision to reduce the skin tension of the closed fistula area. The urethral fistula repairs were successful, and no signs of infection or poor healing were present at the closure sites of the penile skin wounds. The relaxing incisions gradually healed within 7 to 21 days after operation, and the residual scars were soft and did not significantly differ in color from normal skin. The key to increasing the success rate of urethrocutaneous fistula repair is creating a longitudinal relaxing penile skin incision. The technique aims to avoid the direct suture tension of the penile skin wound, thereby providing a favorable environment for the normal healing of the urethral fistula suture site.

Dorsal midline incision: A versatile technique for correction of meatal stenosis during hypospadias repair

Objectives:

To our knowledge, the incidence of congenital meatal abnormalities associated with hypospadias varies from 9.6% to 31%, of which meatal stenosis is the most common, affecting 9.1–16.7% of patients. Traditionally, meatal stenosis has been dealt with by meatal dilatation, although ventral meatotomy until the normal urethra is encountered has also been used. Here, we report the outcome of a technique where, during hypospadias repair, a dorsal midline incision was performed instead of a ventral urethral incision, starting at the narrow meatus and subsequently extending proximally to treat the meatal stenosis.

Methods:

Patients having distal hypospadias with meatal stenosis were included in this study. In this technique, a dorsal midline incision was extended until normal calibre urethra was encountered. Patients with chordee >15°, proximal hypospadias, redo cases, glans width <14 mm, where separation of the skin from the underlying urethra was not possible and with a follow-up of less than three months were excluded from the study. A total of 73 patients were operated on using this technique. Results were assessed with regards to urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) and stricture formation.

Results:

Five (6.85%) patients developed UCF: one (5%) in the subcoronal group, two (8.0%) in the distal penile group and two (14.3%) in the mid-penile hypospadias group. Postoperatively, only one patient had meatal stenosis.

Conclusion:

We think hypospadiac meatal stenosis is best treated by a dorsal midline incision, as it does not lead to a proximal shift of the meatus, and this defect heals by re-epithelisation without significant scarring, which in turn decreases the possibility of UCF. That is why the fistula rate in our study was 6.85%, which is lower than in various published series.

Risk factors for failed urethrocutaneous fistula repair after transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty in pediatric hypospadias

OBJECTIVES

We review our experience in urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) repair after transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty (Duckett) in pediatric hypospadias to investigate the risk factors for unsuccessful outcome.

METHODS

Two hundred and nineteen UCFs repairs conducted in our center from January 2015 to December 2016 after Duckett technique were retrospectively reviewed and 182 had a follow-up for more than 6 months. The age of patients, size, localization and numbers of UCFs, interval time of two operations, length of neourethra, times of UCFs repairs, complications other than UCFs, hospital of primary surgery and postoperative infection were analyzed as potential risk factors. Stratified analysis and assessment of additive interaction were performed to have a better understanding of the relation between the risk factors. Logistic regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis.

RESULTS

UCF repairs were succeeded in 121 (66.5%) and failed in 61 (33.5%) at first operation. In the univariate analysis, size and numbers of UCFs (P = 0.01 and P = 0.035, respectively), interval time of two operations (P = 0.042) and hospital of primary surgery (P = 0.02) were statistically related with the outcome. In the multivariate analysis, UCF ≥ 2 (OR 2.71, 95%, CI 1.095-6.692, P = 0.031), size ≥ 2 mm (OR 2.45, 95% CI 1.267-4.757, P = 0.08) and primary surgery not at our hospital (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.094-4.126, P = 0.026) were identified as independent risk factors for unsuccessful outcome. In the stratified analysis, multiplicative interaction between the 3 risk factors was not found.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that UCF repairs after transverse preputial island flap urethroplasty were easier to fail if the UCF was ≥ 2 mm, the numbers of UCFs was ≥ 2, or the surgeon had less experience. The age of patients, site of UCFs, interval time of two operations, length of neourethra, times of UCFs repairs, complications other than UCF and postoperative infection were not significantly related to the success rate of UCF repair.