Graft Use in Bulbar Urethroplasty

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

• Bulbar urethroplasty is a surgical procedure to treat urethral strictures.
• Excision and primary anastomosis is the gold standard for short strictures (≤2 cm) but risks penile shortening.
• Longer strictures (>2 cm) require augmentation techniques to avoid this complication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review augmentation urethroplasty techniques for bulbar urethral strictures exceeding 2 cm.
• To highlight the use of tissue grafts, particularly buccal mucosa, in these repairs.

Main Methods:

• Review of surgical techniques for bulbar urethroplasty.
• Focus on augmentation methods for strictures >2 cm.
• Analysis of outcomes using different graft materials and locations.

Main Results:

• Augmentation urethroplasty successfully treats bulbar urethral strictures greater than 2 cm.
• Buccal mucosa is a common and effective graft material.
• Success rates for various graft locations approximate 90%.

Conclusions:

• Augmentation urethroplasty with tissue grafts is effective for long bulbar urethral strictures.
• Buccal mucosa provides reliable outcomes in urethroplasty.
• Surgical outcomes are consistently high across different graft strategies.