[Predictors of complex urethral surgery in anterior urethral stricture disease.]

To determine the clinical-surgical factors associated with Complex Urethral Surgery (CUC) in anterior urethral stenosis.

This is a cross-sectional study with retrospective data recording, including all male patients who under went anterior urethroplasty between 2011 and 2018. CUC included two or more grafts urethroplasty, excisional augmented anastomotic urethroplasty, combined flaps and grafts urethroplasty and stages surgery. The data were collected from the electronic medical record, recording the demographic data, background of previous treatments as well as the characteristics of the stenosis (etiology, anatomical location, length, number of strictures, among others). A univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted using the chi-squared test and logistic regression to identify the variables related to CUC.

The data of 665 patients met the inclusion criteria were analyzed. The mean age was 56.1 years, 27.5% were smokers, 32.5% had received some previous treatment, and dilatations were the most common procedure. The most prevalent etiology was iatrogenic, followed by idiopathic in a 61.1 and 20.3% respectively. Bulbar urethral stricture were the most common location (56.2%) while the mean length of the stenosis was 4.8 cm. After univariate and multivariate analysis, previous dilations (HR 2.6), multifocality (2.51), lengthof stenosis (>4 cm) (HR 1.49) and the hypospadias etiology (HR 11.9) were independent predictors for CUC (p<0.05)CONCLUSIONS: Hypospadias was the only etiology factor that predicts the need for CUC. Regarding radiological findings, extensive and multifocal stenosis, were predictors of complex surgery. History of previous dilations were also predictors of CUC.