Mathieu urethroplasty as a salvage procedure: 20-year experience

We assessed the results of the Mathieu procedure in a series of patients who had undergone multiple prior hypospadias repairs.

Medical records of 55 boys who underwent repeat surgery with the Mathieu procedure were retrospectively reviewed. Prior surgeries, level of hypospadias defect, number of prior surgeries and complications were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed on factors that would impact the outcome.

Mean patient age at the time of the salvage Mathieu procedure was 10.33 years (range 2 to 30). In 14 of the 55 patients (25.4%) fistula occurred following the salvage repair. Complications were split glans in 1 case, skin dehiscence in 1 and complete breakdown of the repair in 1. Fistula formation did not differ in groups categorized according to the level of the urethral meatus. Fistula occurred in 6 of 37 (16.2%) and 8 of 18 (44.4%) boys who underwent 1 and more than 1 prior surgery, respectively (p = 0.04).

Although the Mathieu operation had a favorable outcome (74.6% cure) as a salvage procedure in 1 stage, fistula occurred more frequently as the number of prior surgeries increased. Therefore, if primary surgery fails, repeat operation should be performed by an experienced "hypospadiologist."