Purpose: To report our initial experience with urethral reconstruction using a combined dorsal lingual mucosal graft (LMG) and ventral onlay preputial flap for long obliterative or near-obliterative strictures in circumcised patients.
Materials and methods: This was a retrospective study of 10 patients from January 2015 to June 2017 with long obliterative or near-obliterative anterior urethral strictures and circumcised prepuces. All patients underwent a combined approach using a dorsally LMG and a narrow preputial onlay flap ventrally to create a 26-30 Fr. neourethra over a 14-Fr Foley catheter. Success was defined as no requirement for additional urethral instrumentation. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 32 months.
Results: The patients ranged in age from 17 to 44 years (mean, 32.3±9.59 years) and stricture length ranged from 9 to 12.5 cm (mean, 10.77±1.15 cm). Four strictures were obliterative and six were near-obliterative. Two patients had a history of prior urethroplasty. The length of the LMGs harvested ranged from 11 to 14 cm (mean, 12.8±1.03 cm). The preputial flaps available were from 1 to 1.5 cm in width (1.29±0.16 cm) and the desired length. Maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) achieved ranged from 12 to 26 mL/s (mean, 20.46±3.71 mL/s) after 3 months. One patient needed a single direct visualized internal urethrotomy and another patient develop temporary superficial penile necrosis. The success rate was 90%.
Conclusions: Long obliterative and near-obliterative penile and penobulbar urethral strictures can still be treated in circumcised patients using available preputial skin along with lingual mucosa with good outcomes.
Keywords: Foreskin; Mouth mucosa; Reconstructive surgical procedures; Urethral stricture.