Endourologic reconstruction of post-traumatic obliterated urethral stricture in a young female: a point of technique

Introduction. A simple endourologic technique for reconstruction of a post-traumatic obliterated urethra in a young unmarried woman is described as an alternative management to complex open urethral reconstruction.Technical Considerations. A 20-year-old woman presented with a post-traumatic obliterated urethra after a road traffic accident. The cystogram at 6 weeks did not reveal a bladder neck or urethra. The examination under anesthesia showed just a dimple at the presumed external urethral meatus. Antegrade cystoscopy revealed a complete block just distal to the bladder neck. A puncture was made from the external urethral meatus into the bladder through the bladder neck under antegrade cystoscopic guidance. The tract was dilated up to 18F using fascial dilators over a guidewire. A 16F Foley catheter was placed for 6 weeks. The operative time was 30 minutes, with no intraoperative complications. The catheter was removed at 6 weeks. Urethroscopy showed a normal urethra. She performed self-catheterization for the initial 3 months. A micturating cystourethrogram at 3 months revealed a normal urethra. She was continent and stricture free at follow-up of 16 months.Conclusion. This technique is simple and easy, with good results in selected cases of post-traumatic complete obliteration of the urethra with an intact bladder neck in young women.     

Result of suprapubic cystostomy only as primary management of posterior urethral rupture following pelvic fracture

Forty-five patients with posterior urethral injury following pelvic fractures were managed by suprapubic cystostomy alone as primary management. Simultaneous voiding cystourethrogram with retrograde urethrogram six weeks later revealed non-obliterative stricture in eight and total block in 36. Impotence was seen in 20 patients. Eight patients with non-obliterative stricture responded to optical internal urethrotomy. Out of 36 total block, 30 had long strictures in the posterior urethra and required transpubic urethroplasty. Impotence was not affected by transpubic urethroplasty.     

Anterior and posterior urethral valves with subcoronal hypospadias: a rare association

Association of the anterior and posterior urethral valve is a rare congenital anomaly which can lead to various urinary tract symptoms. An 8-year-old boy was referred by his primary care physician for urinary dribbling, straining at micturition, and recurrent febrile urinary tract infection since the age of 2 years. Clinically, the bladder was palpable; both testes were normal, and, in addition, he had a subcoronal hypospadias. Diagnosis was confirmed by retrograde urethrogram and voiding cystourethrogram (micturating cystourethrogram) and urethroscopy. Cystoscopic ablation of both valves was done by electrocautery hook using low current at 5 o'clock and 7 o'clock directions. He voided with good flow and to completion. Urinary dribbling had completely subsided and renal function was normal at a follow-up period of 36 months with freedom from recurrent urinary tract infection.Both the anterior and posterior urethral valves develop from different embryological sources; thus, this association is rare. A case with this association has not been reported previously in the literature.     

Bladder outlet obstruction in a 5 years boy

We report a 5 years old boy with bladder outlet obstruction secondary to a fibroepithelial polyp of prostatic urethra. The micturating cystourethrogram showed a filling defect in the posterior urethra. Cystourethroscopy revealed a polyp in the prostatic urethra proximal to the verumontanum. Transurethral resection was done and histopathology confirmed fibroepithelial polyp of the urethra.     

游离包皮瓣补片式尿道成形术治疗长段尿道狭窄

目的 :探讨游离包皮瓣补片式尿道成形术治疗长段尿道狭窄的疗效。　方法 :对 8例长段尿道狭窄病人行闭锁段后尿道切除和 /或切开狭窄段前尿道 ,切取相应长度和宽度的游离包皮瓣作补片式缝合 ,尿道内置多孔硅胶管。　结果 :术后 7例排尿通畅 ,1例经 2次尿道扩张后排尿正常。　结论 :游离包皮瓣补片式尿道成形术是治疗长段尿道狭窄的良好方法。     

Urethral obstruction from dislodged bladder Diverticulum stones: a case report

Background

Secondary urethral stone although rare, commonly arises from the kidneys, bladder or are seen in patients with urethral stricture. These stones are either found in the posterior or anterior urethra and do result in acute urinary retention. We report urethral obstruction from dislodged bladder diverticulum stones. This to our knowledge is the first report from Nigeria and in English literature.

Case presentation

A 69 year old, male, Nigerian with clinical and radiological features of acute urinary retention, benign prostate enlargement and bladder diverticulum. He had a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) and was lost to follow up. He re-presented with retained urethral catheter of 4months duration. The catheter was removed but attempt at re-passing the catheter failed and a suprapubic cystostomy was performed. Clinical examination and plain radiograph of the penis confirmed anterior and posterior urethral stones. He had meatotomy and antegrade manual stone extraction with no urethra injury.

Conclusions

Urethral obstruction can result from inadequate treatment of patient with benign prostate enlargement and bladder diverticulum stones. Surgeons in resource limited environment should be conversant with transurethral resection of the prostate and cystolithotripsy or open prostatectomy and diverticulectomy.     

The management of urethral stricture after kidney transplantation

Objective

To investigate the incidence and causes of urethral stricture after kidney transplantation, as well as analyze its diagnosis, treatment and prevention.

Methods

Clinical data of patients who developed urethral stricture after living-donor kidney transplantation in our center between January 2007 and June 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

Urethral stricture occurred in 8 of the 677 eligible kidney recipients (1.18 %) during the study period; the complication occurred at a mean of 4.4 months (range 2–7 months) after transplantation. Cystoscope-related iatrogenic injury and urinary tract infection seemed to be the most likely causes. In addition to frequency and dysuria, three patients had hydronephrosis and four had elevated serum creatinine levels. Urethrography showed that the urethral stricture was anterior in two patients and posterior in the remaining six. Two patients were treated by urethral dilation, four by internal urethrotomy and two by urethra reconstruction surgery. All patients urinated readily after treatment and four patients with impaired renal function recovered.

Conclusion

Urethral strictures after kidney transplantation are rare, and they can be safely and effectively treated by urethral dilation, internal urethrotomy or urethra reconstruction. Avoiding iatrogenic injury and shortening catheterization time may help reduce the risk of this complication.     

Changes in the urogenital organs in traumatic strictures of the urethra

The urogenital tract has been examined in 35 patients who required 3 or more years of therapy. A range of studies revealed a short urethral stricture in 11, long urethral stricture in 26, megalocystis in 6, domicile urinary bladder in 2 and bladder diverticulosis in 6 patients. Simple and diuretic excretory urography showed normal bilateral renal function in 5, moderately impaired function in 14 and severe loss of function in 6 patients. Single-kidney functional impairment was seen in 10 patients. Over 504 of patients showed prolonged urographic retention of urine in the pelvis and ureter. Bilateral ureterohydronephrosis was found in 3 and unilateral one in 3 patients. Descending, ascending and micturitional urethrocystography revealed urinary reflux into the prostate (n = 13), seminiferous ducts (n = 3), seminal vesicles (n = 4) and ureters (n = 4). Vasovesiculographic sizes and shapes of the seminal vesicles were normal in 2 patients while the vesicles were uni- or bilaterally dilated or constricted in other patients. The treatment was operative in 34 patients. Histological examination of scars and resected tissues showed fibrous sclerotic lesions in the prostate and suppurative inflammatory and fibrous lesions in seminal vesicular walls. With long treatment of urethral strictures, micturition disorders were superimposed by reflux of infected urine into the prostate, seminal vesicles and ureters, inducing inflammation and functional abnormalities; these caused shrinkage and compression of the posterior urethra, bladder cervix, intramural and prevesical ureteral segments, resulting in chronic renal failure. An early and radical plastic operation on the urethra may prevent the mentioned disorders.     

Incidence,Causes, and Complications of Urethral Stricture Disease

Urethral stricture refers to any narrowing of the urethra, independent of whether it affects the flow of urine out of the bladder. Urethral stricture occurs mainly in men, and the disease is a common and challenging urologic condition. The real incidence of male urethral stricture disease remains unknown, and worldwide differences have been observed based on geography, population, and mean country income. The number of patients with urethral strictures climbs sharply after 55 yr of age in the Western population. The main causes of urethral strictures consist of congenital anomalies of the mucosal membrane, infection, traumatic scarring after blunt pelviperineal trauma, urethral instrumentation, catheterisation, hypospadias failures, and inflammatory disease of the corpus spongiosum caused by lichen sclerosus. Idiopathic and iatrogenic aetiology are the main causes of urethral strictures in developed countries. Trauma remains the most common aetiology of urethral strictures in developing and Third World countries. About 90% of men with urethral stricture disease present complications. The management of urethral stricture disease may result in complications. The main direct complications of urethral surgery are bleeding, infection, incontinence, impotence, and stricture recurrence.Patient summaryUrethral stricture is a common urologic disease affecting men. Urethral strictures result in lower urinary tract symptoms and affect quality of life. Perineal trauma, long-term urethral catheterisation, urologic instrumentation, chronic inflammatory disorders such as lichen sclerosis, and sexually transmitted diseases are typical causes.     

Reconstructive treatment of female urethral estenosis secondary to erosion by suburethral tape

IntroductionFemale urethral stricture secondary to erosión by suburethral sling is an unfrequent problem of difficult solution. Ventral vaginal rotation flaps or buccal mucosa dorsal grafts are not useful because this type of stricture is very proximal (close to the bladder neck) and the vagina is thinned. We present our experience to manage this problem using excision of disease urethral tract, associated to bladder mucosa flap and vaginal sling using transverse vaginal flap to repair the weakened vaginal wall.Material and methodsThree females with urethral stricture secondary to urethral erosion of their sling were treated with a technique of combined urethroplasty with bladder flap and vaginal reinforcement with pediculated vaginal flap transferred in a mini-sling fashion. Two of the patients suffered chronic urinary retention and preoperative placement of urethral catheter was not possible. The patients were evaluated 12, 36 and 55 months after surgery, respectively.ResultsSurgery was performed without complications. Results were satisfactory in all the patients, reaching good micturition postoperative caliber and being without incontinence at follow-up.ConclusionPatients with suburethral erosion by a synthetic sling and secondary severe urethral stricture need total extirpation of the mesh and complete reconstruction of the urethro-vaginal septum. Tension-free urethral suture and use of vaginal sling with the technique here described are two useful technical tips for this problem.     

Transperineal bulbo-prostatic anastomosis for posterior urethral stricture associated with false passage: a single-centre experience

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What’s known on the subject? and What does the study add? The emergency treatment of patients with PFUDD in developing countries is not currently codified and the majority of these patients have been treated using incorrect procedures that add iatrogenic damage to the trauma. Sometimes urethral dilatation gruffly and repeatedly wound lead to formation of urethral false passage which results in infection and incontinence. The treatment of urethral false passage is still a major challenge for urologists. False passage can lead to prolonged unhealed infections, increase the scar around the urethra, increasing stricture significantly. If preoperative examination was careless, it leads to identify false passage difficultly intra‐operative, the variation of direction when the curved sound was used as internal guidance, anastomosis between distal urethra and bladder wall near the orificium urethrae internum, leading to surgical failure. Cystourethrogram, flexible cystocopy pre‐operatively and dissect urethral bulb carefully are key points of urethroplasty for posterior urethral stricture with false passage. Then to pass a curved sound via the suprapubic tract into the posterior urethra to act as a guide for subsequent excision of all scar tissue.

OBJECTIVE

? To evaluate the management of traumatic posterior urethral stricture associated with false passage, as this remains a challenge for urologists.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

? From January 2000 to February 2010, 19 patients (mean (range) age 34 [25–52] years) with traumatic posterior urethral obliteration associated with false passage were evaluated and treated at our centre. ? All patients underwent perineal excision and primary anastomotic urethroplasty using cystoscopy by the suprapubic route to insert a guidewire into the original bladder neck, allowing exposure of the normal posterior urethra. ? Patients underwent voiding cysto‐urethrography 1 month after the procedure. When symptoms of decreased force of stream were present and uroflowmetry was <15 mL/s, urethrography and urethroscopy were repeated. ? Clinical outcome was considered a failure when any postoperative instrumentation was needed, including dilatation.

RESULTS

? The mean (range) follow‐up was 12 (9–14) months. The overall success rate was 84%. ? Three patients (16%) with persistent voiding difficulty developed a short anastomotic stricture 1–3 months after surgery. ? The mean maximum urinary flow rate after surgery was 20.01 mL/s and no patient had urinary incontinence.

CONCLUSION

? The preoperative use of flexible cystoscopy via the suprapubic route represented a successful key point of urethroplasty for posterior urethral stricture associated with false passage.     

Antegrade cystoscopic light source guided laser urethrotomy for the treatment of completely obliterated urethra

ObjectiveA urethral stricture is the narrowing of the urethra caused by scar formation. The etiologies include infection, trauma with total urethral disruption, and iatrogenic procedures. The impact of urethral stricture diseases is very high. Several kinds of endoscopic procedures have become available for managing the disease. Among them, complete obliteration of the urethra during endoscopic procedures remains a challenge for surgeons. We describe a modified procedure in which laser urethrotomy was guided under the light source from an antegrade flexible cystoscope for treating a short completely obliterated urethra. This procedure is indicated if the obliterated segment is less than 10 mm because longer strictures may increase the chance of extra false lumen formation and bleeding.Materials and MethodsForty-three male patients who underwent optical urethrotomy for urethral strictures at Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital (Kaohsiung, Taiwan) between March 2013 and January 2015 were induced in the study. Five of these patients were diagnosed as having complete urethral obliteration.ResultsIn all five patients with a completely obliterated urethra, retrograde laser incision was performed successfully. Three patients had total bulbar urethral obstruction and two had penile obstruction. All patients experienced improved urination after the procedure.ConclusionOur preliminary data showed that our modified method for treating a completely obliterated urethra yielded satisfactory results. Long-term follow-up and large-scale studies should be conducted to better examine technique efficacy; however, our current results regarding the simple modification of endoscopic urethrotomy seem promising.     

Endourethroplasty in the management of complicated posterior urethral strictures

A 2-step endourethroplasty was performed to repair complicated posterior urethral strictures in 3 patients. In the first procedure scar tissue was resected transurethrally to create a smooth grafting bed. In a second endourological procedure a piece of full thickness prepuce was grafted at the stricture site. An intraluminal balloon catheter was used to keep the skin graft in close contact with the resected area of the urethra. Of the patients 2 have remained free of stricture for more than 22 months and 1 has remained free of stricture for more than 12 months after endourethroplasty. The technique offers a promising alternative to open surgery in selected patients with complicated posterior urethral strictures.     

Management of traumatic urethral disruption in children: Oman experience, 1988-2000

Background: Traumatic urethral disruptions in children differ anatomically from those of adults. In children, the posterior urethra is not protected by the prostate and may be injured at any level. The management of traumatic rupture of the urethra still a matter of debate, and there is no agreement as to which is the best of 3 options. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis. Over a 12-year period the authors dealt with 21 urethral disruptions. The authors had detailed follow-up of 20 patients (14 posterior and 6 anterior). Trans-symphyseal urethroplasty (6 early primary repairs and 3 delayed repairs) for complete posterior urethral disruptions was performed. The early repairs were carried out within 7 days of the injury. Primary alignment was performed for 3 of the 4 partial ruptures of the posterior urethra and for all 6 anterior urethral disruptions. Postoperatively, the patients were evaluated for incontinence, penile erectile dysfunction, and stricture formation. Results: In one of the early repairs a stricture developed that responded to dilatations. A second patient with bladder neck injury had incontinence after the repair. She underwent a urethral lengthening procedure and still has stress incontinence. Erections were observed in all 4 boys. One of the delayed repairs developed a stricture postoperatively. Of the 9 partial ruptures (6 anterior and 3 posterior) that underwent primary alignment, 4 had strictures. Some of these strictures required up to 5 dilatations or internal urethrotomy for cure. One patient with complete rupture underwent primary alignment, which broke down, and a long stricture developed. This patient is still awaiting a delayed repair. One posterior partial rupture, repaired primarily at another hospital, had a stricture and an urethrocutaneous fistula that responded to curettage and dilatations. Conclusions: Primary repairs required less hopitalization and a shorter duration of indwelling catheters. In light of this experience the authors recommend a primary repair in patients with complete posterior urethral disruptions. J Pediatr Surg 37:1451-1455.     

A comparative study of ascending urethrogram and sono-urethrogram in the evaluation of stricture urethra

To compare the efficacy of sono-urethrogram and ascending urethrogram in the evaluation of stricture urethra.

Materials and Methods

In this prospective study 40 patients with obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms and suspected to be having stricture urethra were subjected to ascending urethrogram and sonourethrogram. The radiologist was blinded to the findings of ascending urethrogram. All the sonourethrograms were done by the same radiologist. The findings of sonourethrogram & ascending urethrogram were compared with the findings of cystoscopy and intra-operative findings. The specificity, sensitivity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of each modality in the diagnosis of various urethral anomalies were estimated.

Results

The sonourethrogram identified stricture disease in all the patients who had abnormal ascending urethrogram. In addition, other abnormalities like spongiofibrosis, diverticula and stones which were not picked up in ascending urethrogram were diagnosed by sonourethrogram. The cystoscopic and intra-operative findings with respect to stricture length, diameter and spongiofibrosis correlated well with sono-urethrogram findings. 5 patients who had stricture in the ascending urethrogram were found to be having the normal urethra in sonourethrogram and confirmed by cystoscopy.

Conclusion

sonourethrogram is an effective alternative to ascending urethrogram in the evaluation of stricture urethra. It is more sensitive in the diagnosis of anterior urethral strictures than posterior urethral strictures. It is superior to ascending urethrogram in the identification of spongiofibrosis, diameter and length of the stricture. The complications were lower in sonourethrogram group compared to ascending urethrogram.     

Holmium laser ablation of anterior urethral valves: case report

PURPOSE: To report a novel method for treating anterior urethral valves in children using the holmium:YAG laser. CASE REPORT: A 2-year-old boy presented with symptoms of urinary-outflow obstruction. A micturating cystourethrogram (MCUG) revealed an abrupt narrowing of the penile urethra. At cystourethroscopy, an anterior urethral valve without a diverticulum was visible. This was ablated endoscopically using the Ho:YAG laser. The child voided successfully and was discharged the next day. Repeat MCUG 6 months later revealed a normal-caliber urethra. CONCLUSION: Holmium:YAG laser ablation of anterior valves is a minimally invasive treatment modality that provided a satisfactory result and appears to be very promising.     

电子膀胱软镜在后尿道狭窄（闭锁）患者中的临床应用与价值

目的：探讨电子膀胱尿道软镜在后尿道狭窄（闭锁）患者的临床应用与价值,为手术治疗提供客观依据。方法：总结2009年7月~2010年12月收治98例后尿道狭窄（闭锁）患者的电子膀胱尿道软镜检查资料。结果：98例患者后尿道狭窄（闭锁）长度为1．5～7．0cm,术中发现尿道假道6例,尿道直肠瘘6例,后尿道结石患者19例,狭窄段接近前列腺者26例,后尿道完全闭锁者22例。结论：电子膀胱尿道软镜具有可弯曲,创伤小,无视野盲区,可以方便的观察患者后尿道的情况,为选择手术方式及手术中的具体操作提供可靠的依据。     

Primary realignment of the disrupted prostatomembranous urethra

Urethral scarring resulting in stricture formation can be avoided or minimized by proper treatment after injury. On presentation of the trauma patient, the possibility of such injury must be suspected and the urethra evaluated prior to any attempts at catheter placement. Diversion in all cases of posterior urethral injury should be by a suprapubic tube, with any urinary extravasation drained at the site of the injury. If the patient's general condition allows it, the disrupted urethra should be realigned by a catheter after the puboprostatic ligaments have been divided. These measures allow the prostate to return to the urogenital diaphragm without tension and in line with the distal urethra. Until the prostate is released, no amount of traction will reapproximate the urethra, and after it is released, traction is not necessary. The suprapubic catheter provides diversion, preventing further complications caused by urinary extravasation; urethral alignment minimizes subsequent stricture formation. When the stricture develops, if it is urodynamically significant, it can be repaired in 4 to 6 months. If one is fortunate, the stricture will be short and amenable to internal urethrotomy. If not, open reconstruction will be greatly facilitated by the attempts to guide the distracted ends of the urethra together.     

A case of male duplicated urethra in recurrent urinary tract infection

A dorsal incomplete duplicated urethra was found in a 13-year-old male, who had noticed occasional urinary incontinence and recurrent urinary tract infection. The accessory urethra lay dorsal from the glans to bladder neck in parallel with the normal ventral urethra. The external orifice of the accessory urethra was also dorsal to the normal urethral orifice in the glans. Voiding cystourethrogram demonstrated double stream but the patient did not notice it because of pseudophimosis. Retrograde urethrogram showed the accessory urethra which arised from the dorsal surface of the prostatic urethra with a parallel normal urethra. The pendular portion of the accessory urethra was surgically removed, the glans portion of the urethra and posterior urethra were cautilized with electrocoagulation for the purpose of preservation of urinary continence. The patient was postoperatively free from urinary tract infection and urinary incontinence.     

Posterior urethral reconstruction

Summary The posterior prostatomembranous urethral stricture or distraction defect has historically been the most formidable challenge of stricture surgery. This uncommon lesion occurs most often as the sequelae of pelvic fracture injuries, or straddle trauma, and is associated with serious urethral disruption and separation – an injury that is often complicted by inappropriate initial management using substitution skin flap techniques with the development of recurrent stenosis, irreversible impotence, and occasional incontinence. Management by endoscopic techniques may be possible in patients with short strictures or in those after prostatectomy, but they rarely play a role in resolving the complex obliterated urethra with a significant defect [1]. Resolution of post-traumatic posterior urethral distraction defects and other posterior urethral pathologic conditions has dramatically improved over the past two decades despite an inaccessible subpublic location involving exposed sphincter-active and erectile neurovascular anatomy. The contemporary, perineal, one-stage bulboprostatic anastomotic operation as popularized by Turner-Warwick [20] with selective scar excision is a versatile procedure with a high patent lumen success. Patients undergoing anastomotic urethroplasty have a substained patent urethral lumen success rate approaching 100 % versus those who have undergone urethral skin flap or patch repair, where the restricture rate in 5 and 10 years increases twofold to threefold [1, 20]. A patent urethra after an anastomotic urethroplasty at 6 months is free from further recurrent stricture and gives credence to Mr. Turner-Warwick's admonition that “urethra is the best substitute for urethra”.