Ventral onlay buccal mucosal grafts for anterior urethral strictures: long-term followup

We present our long-term experience with buccal mucosal grafts, placed ventrally, for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures.

A total of 23 patients with anterior urethral strictures underwent urethral reconstruction using buccal mucosa as a ventral onlay graft, with 18 grafts placed in the bulbar and 5 in the penile urethra. All operations were performed in 1 stage by a single surgeon (NAA). Mean graft length was 4.9 cm (range 3 to 12). International Prostate Symptom Score and uroflowmetry were obtained preoperatively, at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively, and annually thereafter. Urethral imaging was obtained preoperatively, at catheter removal and selectively thereafter.

Patients were followed for a mean of 50 months (range 17 to 94). Etiology of the strictures was instrumentation (in 9), idiopathic (in 9), prior hypospadias repair (in 2), urethritis (in 2) and trauma (in 1). Of the 23 patients 21 (91%) were previously treated for urethral stricture with a total of 59 procedures (mean 2.8 procedures per patient). Success, defined as normal voiding without any need for subsequent urethral manipulation, was achieved in 20 of 23 patients (87%). A distal anastomotic stricture developed in the remaining 3 patients, each managed with 1 internal urethrotomy. One of these patients continues to require monthly self-dilations. There were no fistulas or clinically perceptible graft sacculations.

With long-term followup our series confirms the durability of ventrally placed buccal mucosal grafts for the treatment of anterior urethral strictures. This proven procedure results in a high success rate with few complications.