Single stage dorsal inlay buccal mucosal graft with tubularized incised urethral plate technique for hypospadias reoperations

Grafted tubularised incised plate: A right option in the management of failed mid-penile and distal hypospadias

Introduction

Hypospadias is a common congenital anomaly of the urogenital system. The goal of the initial repair is to correct any curvature, ensuring that the penis is straight, allowing for successful intercourse, to create a functional neourethra to direct the urinary stream in a forward direction and to produce a cosmetically normal-appearing penis with a slit-like meatus at the tip of the glans. Failures and complications do occur. Failed hypospadias repair is often associated with penile skin loss or deficient local tissue, which leaves the penis short, scarred and hypovascular. Repair of a failed hypospadias surgery represents one of the most challenging and difficult tasks. We retrospectively evaluated our series of children who underwent reoperative grafted tubularised incised plate (G-TIP) repair for a mid-penile or distal penile hypospadias.

Materials and Methods

With permission obtained from the university/institutional ethics committee, we retrospectively reviewed the inpatient and outpatient records of all children ≤18 years of age who underwent a reoperative G-TIP hypospadias repair.

Results

During the study period, a total of 22 children (mean age: 6.8 years) underwent reoperative G-TIP repair. The mean number of previous repairs was 1.36. Nine (40.9%) of the children had persisting chordee. Complications were noted in five (22.7%) children.

Conclusion

G-TIP is a good option in the management of mid-penile or distal penile failed hypospadias repairs. Although complications are noted, they are easily manageable.

Single-stage salvage urethroplasty for failed distal hypospadias: comparison of Mathieu and grafted tubularised incised plate repairs

AIM

Distal hypospadias repair is a common operation but some children require a complete salvage operation due to major complications of initial repair. The aim of this paper is to analyze the results of single-stage salvage distal hypospadias operations with salvage Mathieu (SM) and salvage grafted tubularised incised plate (SGTIP) techniques.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective review of 115 children from 2 centers who underwent SM or SGTIP operations for failed distal hypospadias from January 2012 to July 2021 was conducted for demographic data, success of salvage operation and complications. Children with scarred urethral plate but with healthy, mobile ventral skin underwent SM operation, while children with a supple urethral plate of width 6 mm or greater underwent SGTIP operation. Twenty-four (21%) children with pre-operative glans width < 12 mm received pre-operative intramuscular testosterone injections (2 doses, 2 mg/kg/dose). In the SM group, 22 cases with shallow, scarred glans underwent distal glans augmentation using the terminal portion of the Mathieu skin flap. Pre-operative and intra-operative parameters and post-operative results were compared between SM and SGTIP techniques. Statistical analysis was done using software; student t test and Fishers exact test were used, and p value of < 0.05 was considered significant.

RESULTS

During the study period, SM and SGTIP operations were performed in 84 and 31 children, respectively. Overall, at a median follow-up of 24 (3-72) months, the salvage operation was successful in 101/115 (87.8%) patients; complications were observed in 14/115 (12.2%). The SM and SGTIP groups were comparable with respect to the number of prior failed operations, mean age, mean length of the distal urethral defect, pre-operative testosterone use and use of dorsal plication for chordee correction. SM had significantly better success (77/84, 91.6%) than SGTIP (24/31, 77.4%, p = 0.044). In the SM group, urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) was noted in 2/84 (2.3%) while this was significantly higher (p = 0.01) at 5/31 (16.1%) in SGTIP. No patient in SM group developed meatal/urethral stenosis while this was significantly higher (p = 0.0003) at 6/31 (19.3%) in SGTIP; of these, 4 children had both UCF and meatal/urethral stenosis. A higher incidence of repair breakdown/dehiscence was seen in SM group, but the difference was not statistically significant (SM 5/84, 5.9% versus SGTIP 1/31, 3.2%, p = 0.484). In the SM group, two fistulae were successfully repaired after 6 months, while the three cases of complete dehiscence underwent two-stage oral mucosal graft (OMG) repair. In the SGTIP group, two children underwent successful repair of UCF (one along with meatoplasty), one child with stenosis improved with urethral dilatations, while four children (three with UCF and stenosis and one with complete dehiscence) were managed with two-stage OMG repair.

CONCLUSIONS

Single-stage salvage distal hypospadias repair was successful in 87.8% of patients. Both SM and SGTIP demonstrated acceptable results for salvage distal hypospadias repair. SM had better success and lower complications than SGTIP. SGTIP was associated with significantly higher post-operative UCF and meatal/neourethral stenosis.

Ingrafts in hypospadias surgery: Longer-term outcomes

BACKGROUND

The technique of hypospadias repair with a dorsal inlay graft (ingraft) was initially reserved for boys with an unfavorable glans configuration or in previously failed repairs. Although the ingraft technique has been used for some time, there is scarce literature describing its longer term outcomes. Additionally, there is minimal data comparing inner preputial skin and buccal mucosal graft outcomes in primary and reoperative surgery.

OBJECTIVE

To describe longer-term outcomes in the use of buccal mucosa and inner preputial skin ingrafts for primary and revisional hypospadias repairs.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a single-center retrospective review of our hypospadias repairs employing ingrafts along with a review of the literature.

RESULTS

A total of 47 patients met inclusion criteria. Primary repair was performed in 38 patients, all with unfavorable glans characteristics at a mean age of 16 months and redo repairs in 9 boys at a mean age of 110 months. We used a buccal mucosal graft (BMG) in 19 boys and the remaining 28 were grafted with inner preputial skin. The complication rate was 32% in primary repairs and amongst those, 6 of 28 patients (21%) with skin grafts and 6 of 10 patients (60%) with BMGs suffered a complication. Only BMGs were used in reoperative situations and complications occurred in 2 of 9 cases (22%) of those cases. Overall, 8 patients (42%) with BMG and 6 patients (21%) with preputial skin ingrafts experienced a complication, at an average time of 17 months (range: 0.4-66 months) and 24 months (range: 1.1-113 months), respectively. Surgical correction of the complications resulted in resolution of symptoms in a majority of patients.

DISCUSSION

In our experience, BMGs used as salvage therapy in revisional hypospadias surgery, had lower observed complication rates when compared to its use in primary repair. Inner preputial skin ingrafts for primary repair yielded an acceptable complication rate. Our study describes some of the longest follow-up times in the literature with complications observed even up to 10 years postoperatively. This reinforces the need for active long-term follow-up in reporting outcomes in hypospadias surgery.

Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty for distal and midpenile hypospadias reoperation: A single institute experience

Objective:

Our study aimed to evaluate our experience in tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in distal and midpenile hypospadias reoperation.

Patients and methods:

This was a retrospective study in which we reviewed the medical records of 56 patients who underwent tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in distal and midpenile hypospadias reoperation. Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty was performed using a surgical technique like the primary tubularized incised plate repair based on the Snodgrass’s method. We recorded complications and functional outcomes of redo procedures.

Results:

We reviewed 56 patients who ranged in age from 2–16 years (mean 7.02±3.8 years). The overall complication rate was 33.9% ( n=19). Eight patients (14.3%) had fistula, six had meatal stenosis (10.7%), four had dehiscence (7.1%), and one had neourethral stenosis (1.8%). The complications occurred in 13 of mid-penile cases representing 50% of mid-penile cases but occurred in six cases of distal-penile cases (20%). The success rate of tubularized incised plate urethroplasty reoperation was 94.6% after repair of fistula and meatal stenosis by simple closure of fistula and meatoplasty.

Conclusion:

Tubularized incised plate urethroplasty is a safe and effective alternative procedure for hypospadias reoperations. The outcome is favorable if the urethral plate has no scars and with distal meatal location. The complication rate increases if the third redo is done and with midpenile meatal location.

Management of Urethral Strictures After Hypospadias Repair

Strictures of the neourethra after hypospadias surgery are more common after skin flap repairs than urethral plate or neo-plate tubularizations. The diagnosis of stricture after hypospadias repair is suspected based on symptoms of stranguria, urinary retention, and/or urinary tract infection. It is confirmed by urethroscopy during anticipated repair, without preoperative urethrography. The most common repairs for neourethra stricture after hypospadias surgery are single-stage dorsal inlay graft and 2-stage labial mucosa replacement urethroplasty.

Grafted tubularised incised-plate urethroplasty: An objective assessment of outcome with lessons learnt from surgical experience with 263 cases

Objective

Snodgrass urethroplasty remains the preferred technique in primary distal hypospadias but development of meatal stenosis often limits distal extension of the midline incision of the urethral plate (MIUP), which remains a limiting factor in reconstructing an apical neomeatus (NM). We here-in assess the cosmetic and functional outcome with distal extension of the MIUP in grafted tubularised incised-plate urethroplasty (G-TIP) repair.

Patients and methods

This prospective study included the surgical experience of 263 cases of primary hypospadias operated upon between 2012 and 2015. The G-TIP technique included standard steps of Snodgrass urethroplasty, including degloving and harvesting of glans wings, followed by MIUP that was extended distally beyond the margins of the urethral plate (UP) into the glans. The incised bed was grafted with a free preputial skin graft and fixed to the bed with polydioxanone 7-0 suture. The UP was tubularised and the suture line reinforced with a Dartos flap. The urethral catheter was removed at 7–10 days after the repair and the outcome was assessed at follow-up using the Hypospadias Objective Scoring Evaluation (HOSE) system.

Results

An apical NM was achieved in 96% of the patients with a 3.7% incidence of urethrocutaneous fistula. The presence of suture tracks and graft at the margins of the NM were seen in the initial 4% and 5% of cases, respectively. Acceptable cosmetic results, with objective HOSE scores of >14, were achieved in 96% of cases.

Conclusion

The G-TIP repair is a straightforward and feasible technique facilitating reconstruction of an apical NM, with an optimum outcome based on HOSE scoring. However, multicentre data are needed for undertaking comparative analysis and to assess the universal applicability of this technique in primary hypospadias.

Selecting the right method for hypospadias repair to achieve optimal results for the primary situation

BACKGROUND

Over the past two decades, Snodgrass tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty has become one of the dominant surgical techniques with wide applications and excellent cosmetic results. However, TIP has many limitations. We performed a retrospective study at our department and assessed the outcome of the inlay internal preputial graft for extending the applications of TIP.

METHODS

Between January 2009 and December 2013, we performed a retrospective study consisting of approximately 508 primary distal and moderate cases. Patients with primary distal hypospadias who had mild or no chordee and good penile development were divided into the following 3 groups based on their procedures: (1) classic TIP hypospadias repair group (n = 198); (2) inlay buccal mucosa graft group (n = 150); and (3) inlay internal preputial graft group (n = 160). The median age was 1.6 years (range 1-4 years). Our data were analyzed statistically by the Chi square test with P < 0.05 indicating significant differences.

RESULTS

The mean follow-up period was 18 months (range 6‒24 months). In the classic TIP group, the incidence of urinary fistula and meatal stenosis were both 3.0 % (6/198); in the inlay buccal mucosal graft group, the incidence of urinary fistula was 3.3 % (5/150), and the incidence of stenosis was 2.7 % (4/150); and in the inlay internal preputial graft group, the incidence of urinary fistula was 3.1 % (5/160), and the incidence of meatal stenosis was 4.4 % (7/160). The success rates of each group were as follows: the classic TIP group has a success rate of 93.9 % (186/198); the inlay buccal mucosa graft group had a success rate of 94.0 % (141/150); and the inlay internal preputial graft group had a success rate of 92.5 % (148/160). There were no statistically significant differences between the 3 groups with respect to complication rates.

CONCLUSIONS

As the inner foreskin Snodgraft does not appear to be worse than the buccal mucosa graft, it is a good method for hypospadias repair, and this method is not inferior to TIP.

The contemporary role of 1 vs. 2-stage repair for proximal hypospadias

This review discusses the most commonly employed techniques in the repair of proximal hypospadias, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of single versus staged surgical techniques. Hypospadias can have a spectrum of severity with a urethral meatus ranging from the perineum to the glans. Associated abnormalities are commonly found with proximal hypospadias and encompass a large spectrum, including ventral curvature (VC) up to 50 degrees or more, ventral skin deficiency, a flattened glans, penile torsion and penoscrotal transposition. Our contemporary understanding of hypospadiology is comprised of a foundation built by experts who have described a number of techniques and their outcomes, combined with survey data detailing practice patterns. The two largest components of hypospadias repair include repair of VC and urethroplasty. VC greater than 20 degrees is considered clinically relevant to warrant surgical correction. To repair VC, the penis is first degloved-a procedure that may reduce or remove curvature by itself in some cases. Residual curvature is then repaired with dorsal plication techniques, transection of the urethral plate, and/or ventral lengthening techniques. Urethroplasty takes the form of 1- or 2-stage repairs. One-stage options include the tubularized incised urethroplasty (TIP) or various graft or flap-based techniques. Two-stage options also include grafts or flaps, including oral mucosal and preputial skin grafting. One stage repairs are an attractive option in that they may reduce cost, hospital stay, anesthetic risks, and time to the final result. The downside is that these repairs require mastery of multiple techniques may be more complex, and-depending on technique-have higher complication rates. Two-stage repairs are preferred by the majority of surveyed hypospadiologists. The 2-stage repair is versatile and has satisfactory outcomes, but necessitates a second procedure. Given the lack of clear high-quality evidence supporting the superiority of one approach over the others, hypospadiologists should develop their own algorithm, which gives them the best outcomes.

Is combined inner preputial inlay graft with tubularized incised plate in hypospadias repair worth doing?

BACKGROUND

It has been noted that after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty (TIP) repair, the final meatal position is glanular but not at the optimum position. Inner preputial inlay graft combined with tubularized incised plate (G-TIP) has been proposed for redo urethroplasty. We extended this indication to be the standard technique for primary hypospadias repair. We conduct this prospective study to obtain a wide, slit-like appearance neomeatus at the optimum position in the glans proper and to judge if hypospadias repair complications differ from TIP repair in the published data in the literature.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective study included 230 consecutive patients who underwent this technique. The study was conducted from November 2011 to August 2014 for all hypospadias cases to be repaired in a single stage regardless of the width and depth of urethral plate or the glans size and shape. Localization of the meatus was glanular in 13 patients, coronal in 75, distal penile in 112, mid penile in 25 and proximal in five. The urethral plate was incised deeply and extended distally beyond the end of the plate by 3 mm in glans proper. The mucosal graft was harvested from the inner prepuce, inlayed and quilted in the incised urethral plate. The neourethra was created over a urethral catheter in two layers. The vascular dartos flap was mobilized dorsally and moved ventrally to cover the neourethral suture line as a barrier.

RESULTS

The follow-up period ranged from 5 to 36 months. Excellent cosmetic and functional results were achieved in 221 of 230 patients (96.09%). Neither meatal stenosis nor urethral diverticulum were encountered. An excellent glanular position of a wide slit-like neomeatus was achieved using this technique. Nine patients (3.91%) developed urethrocutaneous fistula. Excellent urinary stream was reported by parents.

CONCLUSIONS

Combined inner preputial graft with TIP urethroplasty secures the optimal glanular position of a wide slit-like neomeatus because of extension of the incision beyond the end of the plate, thus optimizing functional and cosmetic outcome with no meatal stenosis.

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.

Role of the urethral plate characters in the success of tubularized incised plate urethroplasty

Background:

Today, tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty is the most commonly performed operation for distal and mid-penile hypospadias. Reports from different centers worldwide confirm its nearly universal applicability and low complications rate.

Aim:

Evaluation of the urethral plate characters and its effect on the outcome of TIP urethroplasty.

Materials and Methods:

Between 2010 and 2013, 100 children with primary distal penile hypospadias underwent TIP urethroplasty. Urethral plates were categorized as flat, cleft, and deeply grooved. Postoperatively, patients were followed-up for evaluation of meatal stenosis, fistula formation, and glandular dehiscence at 1^st, 3^rd and 6^th months. Patients were followed-up for urethral calibration by urethral sound 8 Fr at 3^rd and 6 months follow-up. Data were statistically analysed using Epi info program to correlate between the width, plate shape, and complications.

Results:

Mean age at surgery was 4.3 years. Patients were followed-up for an average period of 6.4 months. Pre-operative location of the meatus was reported as coronal in 46, subcoronal in 50 and anterior penile in 4 cases. Urethral plate characters were flat in 26 cases, cleft in 52, and deeply grooved in 22. Urethral plate width was >8 mm in 74 cases and <8 mm in 26. Patients with urethral plate <8 mm had a statistically significant higher fistula rate (P = 0.004) and failed 8 Fr calibrations in 26.9% (P = 0.01) compared with the patients with urethral plate >8 mm. In addition, we also founds higher fistula rate and failed 8 Fr calibrations in flat urethral plate.

Conclusions:

An adequate urethral plate width (>8 mm) is essential for successful TIP repair. Lower success rates with flat plates may need buccal mucosal augmentation to improve the results.

One-stage dorsal inlay oral mucosa graft urethroplasty for anterior urethral stricture

Background

Anterior urethral stricture remains a great challenge. We reported our clinical technique and results by using inlay dorsal buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty for repair of anterior urethral stricture.

Methods

From January 2005 to July 2008, 87 male patients (range from 9 to 72 years old) with anterior urethral stricture have been treated by one-stage dorsal inlay oral mucosal graft (OMG) urethroplasty. All patients gave written informed consent for their participation. All patients showed that urethral plate had been either scarred or removed previously. In our surgery, the urethra was dissected dorsally and scar of the urethral plate was removed. The remnant urethral plate was split at midline and a buccal mucosa patch was inserted between the two parts. Neourethra was tubularized and covered with dartos flap. The pre-operative assessments included clinical data, urine analysis, uroflowmetry, retrograde and voiding cystogram, urethral ultrasonography and endoscopy. Postoperatively, the flow rate and void residual volume were analyzed by uroflowmetry and sonography. Any further instrumentation to assist voiding was considered as failure.

Results

After 12 to 48 months (mean: 25.8 months), 78 patients (89.66%) have shown good results by the one-stage urethroplasty. However, 9 patients (10.3%) required further treatment due to recurrence, while 6 patients (6.9%) had fistula.

Conclusions

This one-stage dorsal inlay approach using dorsal oral mucosal grafts is a reliable method to create a substitute urethral plate for tubularization. This approach represents a safe option for anterior urethral stricture patients especially with grossly scarred urethral plate.

A modified method for the treatment of urethral fistula after hypospadias repair

Urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF) is a common complication of hypospadias surgery for severe hypospadias. We report our experience in the management of UCF following hypospadias surgery with a prepuce-degloving method (PDM). Our study included 87 patients who developed UCF after hypospadias repair from May 2001 to December 2011. Either simple closure or PDM was performed to repair the fistula. In total, 61 patients underwent a simple closure or Y-V plasty of the fistula, and 26 underwent a PDM repair. The success rate was 78.7% for simple closure or Y-V plasty and 96.2% for PDM repair (P<0.05). PDM repair represents a good choice for UCF repair after hypospadias, and our high 96.2% success rate demonstrates its applicability.