Delayed Reconstruction of Bulbar Urethral Strictures is Associated with Multiple Interventions, Longer Strictures and More Complex Repairs

Boyd R. Viers, Travis J. Pagliara, Nabeel A. Shakir, Charles A. Rew, Lauren Folgosa-Cooley, Jeremy M. Scott, Allen F. Morey

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose Prior to urethral reconstruction many patients with stricture undergo a variable period during which endoscopic treatments are performed for recurrent obstructive symptoms. We evaluated the association among urethroplasty delay, endoscopic treatments and subsequent reconstructive outcomes. Materials and Methods We reviewed the records of men who underwent primary bulbar urethroplasty from 2007 to 2014. Those with prior urethroplasty, penile and/or membranous strictures and incomplete data were excluded from analysis. Men were stratified by a urethroplasty delay of less than 5, 5 to 10 or greater than 10 years from diagnosis. Results A total of 278 primary bulbar urethroplasty cases with complete data were evaluated. Median time between stricture diagnosis and reconstruction was 5 years (IQR 2–10). Patients underwent an average ± SD of 0.9 ± 2.4 endoscopic procedures per year of delay. Relative to less than 5 and 5 to 10 years a delay of greater than 10 years was associated with more endoscopic treatments (median 1 vs 2 vs 5), repeat self-dilations (13% vs 14% vs 34%), strictures longer than 2 cm (40% vs 39% vs 56%) and complex reconstructive techniques (17% vs 17% vs 34%). An increasing number of endoscopic treatments was independently associated with strictures longer than 2 cm (OR 1.06, p = 0.003), which had worse 24-month stricture-free survival than shorter strictures (83% vs 96%, p = 0.0003). Each consecutive direct vision internal urethrotomy was independently associated with the risk of urethroplasty failure (HR 1.19, p = 0.02). Conclusions Urethroplasty delay is common and often associated with symptomatic events managed by repeat urethral manipulations. Endoscopic treatments appear to lengthen strictures and increase the complexity of repair.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)515-521
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Urology
Volume199
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2018

Keywords

  • complications
  • endoscopy
  • failure to rescue
  • health care
  • reconstructive surgical procedures
  • urethral stricture

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Urology

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