Traumatic complete urethral disruption: the West Virginia experience

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Type III complete urethral disruption is a rare injury.
• Primarily affects male patients following pelvic trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present management outcomes for Type III complete urethral disruption.
• To compare conservative, endoscopic, and open surgical approaches.

Main Methods:

• Initial conservative management with catheter placement in all cases.
• Review of outcomes for patients treated endoscopically versus open urethroplasty.

Main Results:

• All patients managed endoscopically achieved full return of urinary function.
• 1 of 3 patients managed with open urethroplasty regained urinary function.
• Endoscopic repair preserved erectile function in 2 of 3 patients; none with open urethroplasty.
• Traumatic urethral stricture was the most common complication.

Conclusions:

• Initial conservative management with catheterization is crucial.
• Endoscopic repair demonstrates superior outcomes for urinary and erectile function.
• Open urethroplasty is associated with lower functional recovery rates.