Complete penile disassembly in epispadias repair

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Pediatric Surgery
• Reconstructive Surgery

Background:

• Epispadias is a congenital anomaly requiring surgical correction.
• The complete penile disassembly technique is a method used for epispadias repair.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the outcomes of the complete penile disassembly technique in epispadias repair.
• To assess cosmetic results and functional outcomes, including urinary continence.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective analysis of 31 patients undergoing complete penile disassembly for epispadias repair over ten years.
• Patients included those with bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex and isolated penopubic epispadias.
• Ages ranged from 10 months to 6 years.

Main Results:

• Urethral plate shortening (97%) and narrowing (100%) were common findings.
• Satisfying cosmetic results were achieved in 80.5% of patients post-complication repair.
• Urinary continence was achieved in only 19% of patients at 1 hour and 9.7% at 3 hours.

Conclusions:

• Complete penile disassembly is a viable technique for epispadias repair, offering good cosmetic results.
• A significant recurrence of dorsal penile curvature was observed in isolated epispadias cases.
• The technique's impact on long-term urinary continence remains uncertain.