Late onset recurrent penile chordee after successful correction at hypospadias repair

Artificial erections are induced at hypospadias repair to prevent recurrent chordee. We describe the development and etiology of late onset recurrent chordee greater than 10 years after the initial surgery.

We reviewed the medical records of 22 patients with a median age of 4 years at surgery who were referred for evaluation of chordee 10 years after successful hypospadias repair.

Of the 22 patients with recurrent chordee 13 had penoscrotal and 9 had proximal penile hypospadias at the initial operation. All originally required corporoplasty for the release of chordee, including Nesbit procedure in 19 and tunica vaginalis graft in 3. Successful artificial erections were induced after corporoplasty in all cases. Urethral reconstruction was performed with full-thickness preputial free grafts in 11 cases, bladder mucosal grafts in 7 and transverse island flap urethroplasty in 4. Although chordee developed during puberty (median age of onset 16 years, range 12 to 18), the median age at presentation for surgical correction was 21 years. Recurrent chordee was due to extensive fibrosis of the reconstructed urethra in 7 cases (32%), corporeal disproportion in 8 (36%) and both conditions in 7 (32%).

A successful artificial erection induced at hypospadias surgery does not prevent the delayed onset of recurrent chordee. Recurrent chordee may be secondary to the redevelopment of corporeal disproportion and/or extensive urethral fibrosis.