A comparison of one-stage procedures for post-traumatic urethral stricture repair

OBJECTIVE: To compare the results and complication rates of various one-stage treatments for repairing a post-traumatic urethral stricture. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 153 patients who had a post-traumatic urethral stricture repaired between 1977 and 2003 were evaluated retrospectively, and analysed for the different types of urethral reconstruction. RESULTS: The procedures included direct end-to-end anastomosis in 86 (56%) patients, free dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty using preputial or inguinal skin in 40 (26%), ventral onlay urethroplasty using buccal mucosa in seven (5%) and ventral fasciocutaneous flaps on a vascular pedicle in 20 (13%). At a mean (median, range) follow-up of 75.2 (38, 12-322) months, 121 (79%) patients had no evidence of recurrent stricture, while in 32 men (21%) they were detected at a mean follow-up of 30.47 (1-96) months. Patients having a dorsal onlay urethroplasty had the longest strictures. The re-stricture rate was lowest after a dorsal onlay urethroplasty (5% vs 27% when treated with end-to-end anastomosis, 15% after fasciocutaneous flaps and 57% after a ventral buccal mucosal graft). The surgical technique used had no effect on postoperative incontinence or erectile dysfunction rates. CONCLUSION: In patients with strictures which are too long to be excised and re-anastomosed, tension-free dorsal onlay urethroplasty is better than ventral graft or flap techniques. In patients with short urethral strictures direct end-to-end anastomosis remains an option for the one-stage repair of urethral stricture.     

Bulbar urethroplasty using buccal mucosa grafts placed on the ventral, dorsal or lateral surface of the urethra: are results affected by the surgical technique?

PURPOSE: The use of buccal mucosa graft onlay urethroplasty represents the most widespread method of bulbar urethral stricture repair. The graft may be placed on the ventral or dorsal urethral surface according to surgeon experience and preference. We investigated whether the results are affected by the surgical technique by comparing the outcome of 3 types of bulbar urethroplasty using buccal mucosa graft. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We repaired 50 bulbar urethral strictures with buccal mucosa grafts from 1997 to 2002. Mean patient age was 42 years. The etiology of stricture was ischemia in 12 cases, trauma in 6, instrumentation in 4 and unknown in 28. Patients with lichen sclerosus, failed hypospadias or urethroplasty and stricture extending into the penile urethra were not included. A total of 47 patients (94%) had undergone previous urethrotomy or dilation. The buccal mucosa graft was always harvested from the cheek using a 2 team approach. Mean graft length was 4.2 cm. The graft was placed on the ventral, dorsal and lateral bulbar urethral surface in 17, 27 and 6 cases, respectively. Clinical outcome was considered a success or failure at the time that any postoperative procedure was needed, including dilation. Mean followup was 42 months (range 12 to 76). RESULTS: Of 50 cases 42 (84%) were successful and 8 (16%) failed. The 17 ventral grafts provided success in 14 cases (83%) and failure in 3 (17%). The 27 dorsal grafts provided success in 23 cases (85%) and failure in 4 (15%). The 6 lateral grafts provided success in 5 cases (83%) and failure in 1 (17%). No surgical complications were observed. Failures involved the anastomotic site (distal in 2 and proximal in 3) and the whole grafted area in 3 cases. They were treated with urethrotomy in 5 cases and 2-stage urethroplasty in 3. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience the placement of buccal mucosa grafts into the ventral, dorsal or lateral surface of the bulbar urethra showed the same success rates (83% to 85%) and the outcome was not affected by the surgical technique. Moreover, stricture recurrence was uniformly distributed in all patients.     

Dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty for repair of bulbar urethral stricture

PURPOSE: We report the early outcome of dorsal full-thickness penile skin grafts in the repair of bulbar urethral stricture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During 27 months 29 men with a mean age of 43 years (range 10 to 81) underwent dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty. Followup included retrograde urethrogram at 3 weeks, 3 months and 12 to 18 months, and thereafter when needed. Urinary flow was recorded as subjectively reported by the patients. RESULTS: The technique was used only for bulbar urethral strictures. A total of 23 patients (79%) had undergone previous direct vision urethrotomy and/or open surgery. Dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty was used alone in 12 patients (41%), and was performed with partial stricture excision and ventral strip anastomosis in 13 (45%). In another 4 patients (14%) the procedure was combined with an Orandi flap because the stricture extended significantly into the penile urethra. Penile skin grafts were used in 27 patients (93%), whereas buccal mucosa was harvested in 2. Mean graft length was 6 cm. (range 3 to 9), and width ranged between 1.5 and 3 cm. Outcome was favorable in 28 patients (97%) for a median followup of 19 months (range 10 to 37). One patient had symptomatic proximal stricture recurrence and 3 had radiographic evidence of caliber decrease of the repair but with no impact on urinary flow. CONCLUSIONS: Dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty is a versatile procedure which may be combined with stricture excision and ventral strip anastomosis or an Orandi flap. Conceptually the technique offers the advantages of spread fixation of the graft on a fixed well vascularized surface, which may improve graft neovascularization, reduce graft shrinkage and avoid sacculation. Although the early outcome is promising, dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty has yet to stand the test of time.     

One-stage repair of long bulbar urethral strictures using augmented Russell dorsal strip anastomosis: outcome of 234 cases

Objectives

Long bulbar urethral strictures (>2 cm) are not amenable to stricture excision and primary anastomosis procedure, which may result in a short urethra and chordee formation. For such strictures many procedures have been advocated including stricturotomy with subsequent graft or flap onlay, augmented anastomosis, and staged procedures, which is a combination of the Russell graft. We present our 10-yr experience with the augmented Russell procedure using a ventral onlay buccal mucosal patch graft for treatment of long bulbar urethral strictures not amenable to excision and primary anastomosis.

Methods

A total of 234 patients diagnosed by urethrograms as having long bulbar urethral strictures (mean, 4.2 cm) were managed by the augmented Russell urethroplasty. The procedure included excision of most of the diseased segment (mean, 2.8 cm) and anastomosis of a dorsal strip leaving an oval ventral defect. Augmentation was done in all patients using a buccal mucosa patch graft (mean, 4.7 cm).

Results

Mean follow-up was 36 mo. Urethrograms were done at 3 wk and 3 and 6 mo postoperatively and if the patients were symptomatic thereafter. Urethrocystoscopy was performed at 12 and 18 mo. A total of 223 patients completed the follow-up protocol; the overall success rate was 93.7% with 14 (6.3%) patients showing stricture recurrence at different intervals postoperatively. Ten patients in the failure group were successfully managed by single visualized internal urethrotomy (VIU), whereas the other four patients were treated by ventral penile pedicled flap. Postoperative dribbling of urine was noticed by 90 patients (40.4%) and temporary perioral numbness in most patients; no major donor site complications were noted in our series.

Conclusion

The augmented Russell technique is beneficial for long bulbar urethral strictures; 93.7% of the patients were stricture free. In the bulbar region, both ventral and dorsal onlays are applicable with nearly equal success rates. The buccal mucosa patch graft offers excellent material for augmentation.     

Retrospective outcome analysis of urethroplasties performed for various etiologies in a single South African center

ObjectivesTo compare the results of anastomotic versus augmentation urethroplasty (buccal mucosa graft (BMG) onlay), as well as dorsal versus ventral BMG techniques.MethodsA retrospective audit of 69 patients who underwent urethroplasty at Eersteriver Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa between October 2004 and July 2011 was undertaken. Analysis included stricture etiology, location and length, type of surgery performed as well as complication rates over the follow-up period.ResultsThe predominant stricture etiologies were traumatic and infective causes (55%), with a mean stricture length of 3 cm (0.5–15 cm). Forty two patients had bulbar urethra strictures (61%), with 8 (11%) located in the posterior, and penile & bulbar regions, respectively. The remaining strictures were located in the penile urethra (16%). Surgery performed included bulbar (12) and membranous anastomotic (8) urethroplasty, ventral (13) and dorsal (22) buccal mucosa onlay grafts (BMG), and 2-stage urethroplasty (14). Overall stricture recurrence was seen in 9 patients (13%), including 1 patient (8%) of the anterior end-to-end anastomotic group compared to 2 patients (6%) of the onlay BMG group (p = 0.77). The re-stricture rates were 5% and 8% in the dorsal (1/22) and ventral BMG onlay groups (1/13), respectively (p = 0.72).ConclusionsBoth anastomotic and BMG onlay techniques are safe and effective surgical options. Similar outcomes were demonstrated between ventral and dorsal BMG onlay groups.     

Buccal mucosa urethroplasty for the treatment of bulbar urethral strictures

PURPOSE: We report the results of urethroplasty with a free graft of buccal mucosa as a dorsal onlay for the treatment of bulbar urethral strictures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Since June 1994, 30 patients with bulbar urethral strictures have been treated with buccal mucosa urethroplasty. Urethroplasty was performed with a free graft of buccal mucosa using a ventral onlay in the first 7 patients and a dorsal onlay in 23. Dorsal urethrotomy was performed with a Sachse urethrotome after the bulbar urethra was separated from the corpora. The buccal mucosa onlay was sutured to the urethra and corpora cavernosa to ensure a patent urethra. RESULTS: At 20-month followup (range 3 to 50) the success rate was 96% (29 of 30 patients). Urethral stricture recurred in only 1 of 7 patients in the ventral onlay and none of 23 in the dorsal onlay group. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results of urethroplasty for bulbar urethral strictures with a dorsal onlay graft of buccal mucosa are excellent. Longer followup is needed to evaluate definitive results.     

Buccal mucosal urethroplasty: a versatile technique for all urethral segments

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience with buccal mucosa urethroplasty for substitution of all segments of the anterior urethra, as the buccal mucosal graft (BMG) has emerged as the tissue of choice for single-stage reconstruction of bulbar urethral strictures, but its use for reconstructing meatal, pendulous and pan-urethral strictures has not been widely reported. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1998 and October 2003, 92 patients had a BMG substitution urethroplasty at our institution; 75 had a single-stage dorsal onlay BMG urethroplasty (bulbar 41, pendulous 16 and pan-urethral 18; six combined penile skin flap and BMG) and 17 (pendulous five, pan-urethral 10, bulbar two) a two-stage urethroplasty. Recurrence rates, complications and cosmetic outcomes were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: Over a median (range) follow-up of 34 (8-72) months, 66 (88%) patients with a one-stage reconstruction (14/16 pendulous; 37/41, 90%, bulbar; 15/16 pan-urethral) remained stricture-free. The mean (range) time to recurrence was 9.4 (3-17) months. Of the nine recurrent strictures, six were managed by one-stage optical urethrotomy and three required a repeat urethroplasty. In patients who had a staged procedure, after a mean follow-up of 24.2 (9-56) months, one had complete graft loss, requiring re-grafting, five required stomal revision after stage 1, and only two (12%) developed a recurrent stricture after the two-stage urethroplasty. CONCLUSION: A one-stage dorsal onlay BMG urethroplasty provides excellent results for strictures involving any segment of the anterior urethra. The BMG appears to be the most versatile urethral substitute, as it can be successfully used for both one- and two-stage reconstruction of the entire anterior urethra.     

Use of overlapping buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty for complex anterior urethral strictures

Complex anterior urethral stricture disease typically manifests as a symptomatic, severely narrowed, long stricture (or multiple strictures) in which conventional excision and/or augmentation is not feasible. Overlapping buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty (OBMGU) is an innovative hybrid technique, combining the well-established principles of dorsal and ventral graft augmentation to allow single stage reconstruction of complex anterior urethral strictures. In this review, we discuss the rationale, techniques, and outcomes of OBMGU for complex anterior urethral strictures.     

口腔内黏膜尿道成形治疗前尿道狭窄10年经验总结

目的 探讨口腔内黏膜尿道成形治疗尿道狭窄的长期效果. 方法 2001年1月至2010年12月,应用口腔内黏膜(颊黏膜和舌黏膜)尿道成形治疗前尿道狭窄255例.尿道狭窄段长度3 ～18 cm,平均6 cm.尿道成形采用保留原尿道板的扩大尿道成形术或埋藏黏膜条背侧替代尿道成形术.对49例尿道狭窄段≥8 cm者采取双侧颊黏膜拼接、颊粘膜与舌黏膜拼接或双侧连续长条舌黏膜尿道成形. 结果 术后随访8 ～120个月,平均37个月.230例患者排尿通畅,尿线粗,最大尿流率为16～51 ml/s,平均26 ml/s.尿道造影显示重建段尿道管腔通畅.总成功率90.2％.25例患者于术后1年内发生并发症,其中尿道再次狭窄17例,尿道皮肤瘘8例.17例尿道再狭窄患者中15例再次行口腔内黏膜尿道成形,2例吻合口狭窄行尿道内切开,术后排尿通畅;8例尿道皮肤瘘均接受尿瘘修补术后治愈. 结论 口腔颊黏膜和舌黏膜均是良好的尿道替代物,舌黏膜取材较颊黏膜更为便利;口腔内多种黏膜的组合移植重建尿道是治疗长段前尿道狭窄( ≥8 cm)的有效方法.     

Surgical techniques in substitution urethroplasty using buccal mucosa for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures

OBJECTIVES: Since the resurgence in the use of buccal mucosa (BM) in substitution urethroplasty in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there has been controversy as to which surgical technique is the most appropriate for its application.METHODS: The authors performed an updated literature review. Several centres have published widely on this topic, and the points considered include the use BM in dorsal onlay grafts, ventral onlay grafts, and tubularised grafts and the role of two-stage procedures.RESULTS: In experienced hands, the outcomes of both dorsal onlay grafts and ventral onlay grafts in bulbar urethroplasty are similar. The dorsal onlay technique is, however, possibly less dependent on surgical expertise and therefore more suitable for surgeons new to the practice of urethroplasty. The complications associated with ventral onlay techniques can be minimised by meticulous surgical technique, but in series with longer follow-up, complications still tend to be more prevalent. In penile urethroplasty, two-stage dorsal onlay of BM (after complete excision of the scarred urethra) still provides the best results, although in certain circumstances a one-stage dorsal onlay procedure is possible. In general, ventral onlay of BM and tube graft procedures in the management of penile strictures are associated with much higher rates of recurrence and should therefore be avoided.CONCLUSIONS: In experienced hands the results of the ventral and dorsal onlay of BM for bulbar urethroplasty are equivalent. Two-stage procedures are preferable in the penile urethra, except under certain circumstances when a one-stage dorsal onlay is feasible.     

Buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty for anterior urethral stricture repair: evaluation of the impact of stricture location and lichen sclerosus on surgical outcome

PURPOSE: We report our experience with buccal mucosa grafts for anterior urethral strictures. We compared outcomes in the pendulous and bulbar urethra as well as the impact of lichen sclerosus on success. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 53 men underwent buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty from 1997 to 2004 for strictures of all etiologies, including lichen sclerosis in 13. Of the patients 46 underwent 1-stage repair and 7 with full-thickness circumferential disease underwent multistage repair. For 1-stage repair strictures were limited to the bulb in 33 cases and they involved the pendulous urethra in 13. A dorsal onlay was used in 24 cases and a ventral onlay was used in 22. For multistage urethroplasty 2 strictures were in the bulbar urethra and 5 were in the pendulous urethra. Success was defined as no postoperative procedures or complications. RESULTS: The success rate of all urethroplasties was 81% (43 of 53 cases) at a mean followup of 52 months. For bulbar vs pendulous urethroplasty the success rate was 86% (30 of 35 cases) vs 72% (13 of 18, p = 0.23). For 1-stage urethroplasty by graft location success was achieved in 20 of 24 cases (83%) for dorsal onlay vs 17 of 22 (77%) for ventral onlay (p = 0.61), in 18 of 21 (86%) for bulbar-dorsal onlay, in 10 of 12 (83%) for bulbar-ventral onlay, in 2 of 3 (66%) for pendulous-dorsal onlay and in 7 of 10 (70%) for pendulous-ventral onlay. For multistage urethroplasty success was achieved in 2 of 2 cases (100%) for bulbar repair vs 4 of 5 (80%) for pendulous repair. In the 13 patients with lichen sclerosus success was achieved in 4 of 8 (50%) with 1-stage repair vs 4 of 5 (80%) with multistage repair (p = 0.28). Complications developed in 10 of 53 cases (19%), including fistula in 1, urinary tract infection in 1 and stricture in 8 that required treatment, including dilation in 3, internal urethrotomy in 4 and perineal urethrostomy in 1. Five of these 8 recurrent strictures (63%) developed in patients with lichen sclerosus, including 4 in urethras in which 1-stage repair was done for lichen sclerosus. There were no donor site complications, postoperative erectile dysfunction or chordee. CONCLUSIONS: A buccal mucosa graft placed dorsally or ventrally remains an excellent graft material in the bulbar and pendulous urethra. When lichen sclerosus is present, careful consideration should be given to complete excision of the diseased urethra with multistage repair vs accepting a higher rate of stricture recurrence with 1-stage repair.     

Dorsal onlay graft bulbar urethroplasty using buccal mucosa

In 1996, Barbagli described the use of the free graft from Devine's technique with the dorsal urethral opening from Monseur's technique. Such technique was termed new dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty or Barbagli's procedure. It can be used for penile urethral stricture repair and different types of dorsal onlay graft urethroplasty for bulbar urethral stricture repair. The current paper describes, step by step, Barbagli technique of dorsal onlay graft bulbar urethroplasty using buccal mucosa. The preoperative patient evaluation and postoperative course and follow-up are finally showed.     

Substitution urethroplasty for anterior urethral strictures: a critical appraisal of various techniques

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively compare the outcome of various techniques of substitution urethroplasty. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between 1989 and 2000, 109 patients (mean age 39.5 years) underwent substitution urethroplasty for recurrent anterior urethral strictures. Between 1989 and 1995 the procedure was by ventral placement of free grafts (bladder mucosa, buccal mucosa, penile skin) or penile skin flaps. From 1995 onwards the flaps and grafts (buccal mucosa) were applied either ventrally or dorsally. Stricture recurrence and the complications associated with each technique were compared. RESULTS: Ventral onlay repairs were associated with a higher incidence of complications than dorsal repairs, e.g. postvoid dribbling (39% vs 23%, P = 0.01), ejaculatory dysfunction (20% vs 5%, P = 0.03) and flap/graft pseudo-diverticulum or out-pouching (26% vs 2.6%, P = 0.01). Superficial penile skin necrosis was significantly more common with the use of penile skin flaps than with free grafts. There was no significant difference in stricture recurrence, erectile dysfunction and residual penile deformity among the various techniques. CONCLUSIONS: Dorsal free graft/flap onlay urethroplasty gives better results than ventrally placed free grafts/flaps. Dorsal onlay buccal mucosal urethroplasty is a versatile procedure and associated with fewer complications than other substitution methods.     

Single-stage reconstruction of complex anterior urethral strictures using overlapping dorsal and ventral buccal mucosal grafts

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? This technique has been reported to have an excellent success rate in the bulbar urethra, although no data exists for its use in the penile urethra. This is the first study to report successful use of the technique in the reconstruction of penile urethral strictures.

OBJECTIVE

• ? To review our initial experience with single‐stage overlapping dorsal and ventral buccal mucosa graft (BMG) urethroplasty for the reconstruction of complex anterior urethral strictures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

• ? Among 696 urethroplasties performed at two tertiary urethroplasty centres from October 2007 to September 2010, single‐stage urethral reconstruction using urethral plate incision and/or excision and overlapping dorsal and ventral BMGs was used in 36 men (5%) with complex urethral strictures (mean length 4.5 cm).
• ? Demographic and perioperative data was tabulated and outcomes were analysed.

RESULTS

• ? Stricture location was bulbar (61%), penile (19%), or both bulbar and penile (20%).
• ? Dorsal grafts, applied only within the most severely strictured segment, measured a mean 42% of the opposing ventral graft length.
• ? At a mean follow‐up of 15.7 months, 32 of the 36 cases were successful (89%).
• ? Repeat urethroplasty was performed in all four recurrences, three of which were successful at a mean follow‐up of 16 months.

CONCLUSION

• ? Single‐stage reconstruction of focally obliterative long urethral strictures using overlapping dorsal and ventral BMGs is safe and effective.

     

舌黏膜与颊黏膜或包皮拼接重建尿道治疗长段尿道狭窄

目的 探讨舌黏膜与颊黏膜或包皮拼接尿道成形治疗多节段或长段尿道狭窄的安全性和治疗效果.方法 尿道狭窄患者11例,年龄24～56岁,平均32岁.其中前尿道长段狭窄7例,狭窄长度10～15 cm,平均12 cm;尿道2～3处狭窄4例.病程6个月～8年.取舌黏膜条与颊黏膜条拼接尿道成形治疗7例,舌黏膜条与包皮瓣拼接尿道成形治疗4例.结果 11例手术顺利.1例舌黏膜与包皮拼接尿道成形患者术后3个月并发尿道外口狭窄,经手术矫正后排尿通畅,术后8个月最大尿流率27.5 ml/s.余10例排尿通畅、尿线粗,术后随访5～12个月,平均10个月,最大尿流率21～36 ml/s,平均26.8 ml/s.结论 舌黏膜与颊黏膜或包皮拼接尿道成形具有取材方便、患者创伤小的特占点,是治疗长段尿道律窄的较好术式.尤其适用于尿道多处狭窄者.     

Non-transecting bulbar urethroplasty using buccal mucosa

Augmentation urethroplasty using oral mucosal graft has become the standard surgical treatment of long bulbar strictures. In very tight strictures the urethral plate is narrowed to the extent that an almost circumferential substitution with oral graft is necessary, with suboptimal results. If the obliterative segment within a longer stricture is short it is possible, through a dorsal stricturotomy, to excise it in a non-transecting manner, leaving the ventral spongiosum intact and anastomose the mucosal edges to reconstitute the urethral plate to an adequate calibre. The stricturotomy is subsequently augmented with an oral mucosal graft. We describe this technique as the augmented non-transecting anastomotic bulbar urethroplasty. It also allows for use of a narrower and shorter graft. In our hands this procedure is associated with a 100% radiological success rate and a 95% patient satisfaction rate at a mean follow-up of 14.8 months (5.7–52.6 months).     

The augmented anastomotic urethroplasty: indications and outcome in 29 patients

PURPOSE: A short bulbar stricture of 1 cm. or less is best managed by stricture excision and primary anastomosis. However, a dilemma exists when the total length of the stricture is too great for excision and anastomosis. Options include stricture incision and flap-graft onlay or stricture excision with roof or floor strip anastomosis augmented by an onlay. We report our results with the latter type of augmented anastomotic urethroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 29 patients who underwent augmented anastomotic urethroplasty between 1990 and 1999. Retrograde urethrography was performed 3 weeks and 3 months postoperatively, and later if the patient was symptomatic. When possible, followup clinic notes and x-rays from referring physicians were obtained and patients were contacted directly to assess the long-term outcome. RESULTS: The stricture was in the bulbar urethra in all cases. Six patients had a completely obliterative stricture. Mean stricture length was 1.5 cm. on retrograde urethrography and the mean excised length was 1.2 cm. In 9 of the 29 patients a roof strip anastomosis was augmented by a ventral onlay and in 20 a floor strip anastomosis was formed with a dorsal onlay. Onlays included a pedicled skin flap in 7 cases and a graft in 22. Mean onlay length was 4.5 cm. At a mean followup of 28 months (range 3 to 126) 27 of the 29 patients (93%) were stricture-free and all those surveyed were satisfied with the procedure. Complications include new erectile dysfunction in 1 patient, post-void dribbling in 13, pseudodiverticulum formation in 2 and subjective penile shortening in 5. CONCLUSIONS: Augmented anastomotic urethroplasty is a useful technique for strictures that are too long to be managed by excision and primary anastomosis. Greater than 90% of the patients are stricture-free and the results seem durable, although longer followup is needed. Complications are few and minor.     

Long-term followup of the ventrally placed buccal mucosa onlay graft in bulbar urethral reconstruction

PURPOSE: We investigate whether the short-term success rate (greater than 90%) of buccal mucosa free grafts in the bulbar urethra is sustained in the long term. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 60 patients a ventrally placed buccal mucosa graft was used for repair of bulbar urethral strictures. Of these patients 49 had undergone previous attempt at repair (urethroplasty in 4, internal urethrotomy in 45). Mean graft length was 4.8 cm. In 9 patients a distal penile fasciocutaneous flap was also used for repair of concomitant penile urethral stricture. In 8 of the 9 patients the buccal mucosa graft was combined with end-to-end urethroplasty and 2 buccal mucosa grafts were used in tandem in 1. Followup was at least 1 year in all cases (mean 47 months, range 12 to 107). Failure was defined as an obstructive voiding pattern with radiographic or cystoscopic evidence of recurrent stricture. RESULTS: Bulbar stricture repair was successful in 54 patients (90%) and 4 of the remaining 6 responded to 1 internal urethrotomy for a long-term success rate of 97%. Preoperative clinical characteristics were not significantly different between those who experienced success or failure. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcome analysis of ventrally placed buccal mucosa onlay grafts for bulbar urethral strictures demonstrates a durable success rate of 90%. This rate can be improved (97%) with the judicious use of internal urethrotomy.     

口腔颊粘膜Ⅰ期修复复杂性前尿道狭窄(附六例报告)

目的：探索修复前尿道狭窄的新型替代材料和手术方法。方法：将狭窄或闭锁的前尿道于腹侧纵形劈开，采用口腔颊粘膜补片法治疗复杂性前尿道狭窄患者6例7次。结果：患者前尿道修复术后排尿通畅，平均最大尿流率25．8ml／s，尿道造影示尿道通畅，B超提示吻合口愈合良好，瘢痕少，无明显狭窄。结论：口腔颊粘膜取材方便，创伤小，粘膜易存活，抗感染能力强，修复尿道效果好。     

Mucosal-sparing augmented non-transected anastomotic (MsANTA) urethroplasty: a step forward in ANTA urethroplasty

The surgical advancement of urethral reconstruction is a rapidly moving field. In the last decade, the technique for bulbar urethroplasty has evolved towards less invasive approaches with minimal transection and more tissue sparing in order to increase the patency rate. In this study, we provide a step forward in the augmented non-transected anastomotic (ANTA) urethroplasty proposed in 2012, with a true mucosa-sparing modification of the technique. In detail, the bulbar urethral lumen is approached with either a ventral or dorsal urethrotomy. Differently from previous techniques, the native urethral mucosa is neither transected nor resected but is reconstructed with a direct mucosa-to-mucosa anastomosis. This allows a complete sparing of communicant vessels that come from the corpus spongiosum to the urethral mucosa. The technique aims to preserve the native vascularity of the urethral mucosa by enlarging the native urethral plate with a direct anastomosis at the level of the stricture, and without the need for resection. In our hands the technique was easy and reproducible, and it carried promising results in the preliminary cohort where it was applied.