Free graft patch 1-stage procedure to repair penile hypospadias unsuitable for the flip-flap procedure: indications and experience

From January 1983 to December 1985, 14 procedures were performed in which a free graft of skin from either the foreskin or elsewhere was substituted for the flipped flap in the repair of hypospadias. This obviates the problem of thin skin below the urethral meatus, since a flipped flap in such a case will result in devascularization of the flap. Moderate chordee was not necessarily a contraindication to the use of this procedure, provided the chordee could be corrected without moving the meatus proximally. Cosmetic and functional results have been good, and there was only 1 urethral fistula. Nevertheless, because of the need for a scrotal flap of fat to prevent fistula formation and to ensure vascularization of the graft, and because of the availability of a vascularized flap from the foreskin in most cases, the free graft patch procedure is best reserved for cases in which the foreskin is either absent or deficient.