Changing Trends in Reconstruction of Complex Anterior Urethral Strictures: From Skin Flap to Perineal Urethrostomy

Objective: To evaluate procedural trends and outcomes for reconstruction of complex strictures at our tertiary center over the last decade. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed complex urethral reconstruction comparing 3 techniques: (1) buccal mucosal graft (BMG), (2) penile skin flap, or (3) perineal urethrostomy (PU) at our center (2007-2017) with ≥6 months follow-up. Strictures amenable to anastomotic repair were excluded. Success was defined as no need for further operative management. Results: Among 1129 strictures cases, 403 complex strictures were identified for analysis (median length 4.5 cm). Median age was 53.2 years (standard deviation ± 14.9). Reconstruction was most commonly performed using BMG (61.3%), followed by penile skin flap (21.6%) and PU (19.1%). PU use has increased steadily over the past decade, rising from 4.3% of case volume in 2008 to 38.7% in 2017 (P =.01). Over time, the proportion of reconstruction using BMG has remained stable, while penile skin flaps are now less commonly utilized. Over a median follow-up of 50.7 months, 16.9% (68/403) patients failed at a median of 13.9 months. Success rates were higher following PU (94.8%) compared to BMG and skin flaps (78.5% and 78.2%, respectively) (P =.003) despite PU patients being older (median age 62.6 years), having longer strictures (median 5.0 cm) and more commonly having lichen sclerosus (LS) (22.1%). Conclusion: Over a decade of a urethral reconstructive practice, PU has increasingly become preferred for older patients with long strictures and adverse etiology. BMG urethroplasty rates remain stable, while penile skin flap use is decreasing. Success rates of PU for these complex strictures are markedly higher than those of grafts and flaps.