Two cases of female urethral reconstruction with acellular porcine urinary bladder matrix

Introduction and hypothesis

Female urethral reconstruction via the traditional routes can be limiting for various reasons. Current literature on the use of acellular biologic grafts derived from viscera for female urethral reconstruction is limited. We present two cases of women with complete loss of their posterior urethra presenting for urethral reconstruction.

Methods

Two cases of urethral reconstruction using acellular porcine urinary bladder matrix (UBM), along with labial fat pad transposition and biologic pubovaginal sling are presented.

Results

In both cases the UBM graft showed successful conversion to what appeared to be normal urethral mucosa. One woman showed significant improvement in continence and the other showed complete continence.

Conclusions

Female urethral reconstruction using acellular porcine UBM is a viable option for patients who have lost a significant portion of their urethra. Both cases demonstrated transition of the graft into the posterior wall of the urethra with significant improvement in continence. Further studies are needed to confirm that acellular porcine UBM can transform to urethral mucosa in women requiring urethral reconstruction.