Epilation of hair-bearing urethral grafts utilizing the neodymium:YAG surgical laser

Non-hair-bearing skin should be utilized when grafting is necessary in carrying out urethroplasty for stricture or hypospadius repair. Occasionally this is not possible, or hair-bearing skin is used inadvertently. Traditionally electrocoagulation has been the method used for epilation when intraluminal hair has become a problem, such as interfering with flow, being foci for recurring urinary tract infection, or acting as a nidus for calculus formation. Electrocautery is also used at the time of grafting in an attempt to prevent the growth of hair when hair-bearing skin is utilized. Unfortunately, because of lack of penetration, the hair follicles are not destroyed and the epilating procedure fails or is only partially successful. The neodymium: YAG (Nd:YAG) surgical laser can photocoagulate tissue to a depth up to 5.0 mm and thus has the ability to destroy hair follicles. We report three cases presenting with clinical problems directly related to hair-bearing urethral grafts successfully treated by Nd:YAG epilation.