Buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty in five male dogs with penile urethral stricture at the bulbus glandis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of correcting penile urethral strictures at the bulbus glandis using buccal mucosal graft (BMG) urethroplasty in dogs. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective clinical trial. ANIMALS: Five male dogs with urethral strictures located at the bulbus glandis. METHODS: Urethrotomy was performed throughout the entire length of the urethral stricture including ~0.5 cm healthy urethra proximal and distal. The scarred tissue and unhealthy mucosa of the strictured urethra were completely excised. The graft was harvested from the buccal mucosa and tubularized at the stricture site using a urethral catheter as the skeleton. The catheter was maintained for 14 days after surgery and removed when no urethral leakage was identified on a positive-contrast retrograde urethrogram. The dogs were discharged after spontaneous urination was confirmed. Six months postoperative follow-up was completed for all dogs with repeated positive contrast urethrogram and an owner questionnaire to score urinary function and quality of life. RESULTS: The five dogs recovered well following surgery and only one dog experienced a minor complication. All dogs were able to urinate normally after catheter removal. No evidence of leakage was identified on a 14 day postoperative retrograde positive contrast urethrogram and clinically at a median follow-up time of 182 days (range, 182-186). All owners scored the urinary function as excellent and ranked their satisfaction very high 6 months after the procedure. CONCLUSION: Buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty has positive outcomes for dogs with penile urethral strictures.

Application of buccal mucosal graft to establish a new urination passage in male cats with penile traumatic injury.

Two male cats were presented with penile part of urethra injury due to dog attacks to the perineum and genitalia area. Chronic wound around a remained penile part of urethra due to the dog bite and perineal area was evident due to urine irritation. The buccal mucosa was harvested and subsequently placed on the granulation tissue of the wound to reconstruct the urinary passage. The buccal mucosal graft completely attached to the skin and urethra without any complications. From the follow-up at 3 months, the cats were able to urinate normally and the skin irritation from urine was resolved. In summary, the buccal mucosa is a good graft source and is suitable for the reconstruction of the urinary passage in severe and complicated cases of penile part of urethra injury in male cats.

Buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty in male cats with traumatic complete urethral rupture.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility of buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty for repairing complete urethral rupture in cats. ANIMALS: 15 male domestic shorthair cats with traumatic complete urethral rupture. PROCEDURES: In each cat, a section of buccal mucosa was harvested, sutured, and formed into a tubule by use of an 8F indwelling catheter as support. This tubular graft was connected to both ruptured ends of the urethra to renew the urinary passage. The catheter was left in place until the absence of leakage was confirmed by positive contrast retrograde urethrography. After spontaneous urination was confirmed, cats were discharged from the hospital. Six months later, urethrography was repeated and owners were asked to score their cats' urinary function and quality of life. RESULTS: 13 cats recovered well following surgery, with no complications in the oral cavity or surgical site and no signs of difficulty or discomfort when urinating. Urethrography 2 weeks and 6 months after surgery revealed no stricture or leakage in the abdominal cavity. The 2 remaining cats developed a urethral stricture and underwent second surgery with a successful outcome. At the 6-month follow-up, 14 cats had only mild urinary signs, and 1 cat had incontinency. Owners indicated they were delighted (n = 14) or pleased (1) with their cats' quality of life. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Buccal mucosa was found to be a good source of graft tissue for performance of urethroplasty in male cats, yielding satisfactory outcomes with few postoperative complications. The described technique may be suitable for severe and complicated cases of urethral rupture in male cats.

An application of sublingual mucosa to establish a new urination passage in male cats with complications after urethrostomy.

This is the first study of using sublingual mucosae to establish a new urination passage in male cats suffering from complications from prior urethrostomy. In total, five domestic male cats afflicted with various complications, such as urethra stricture, scalding dermatitis, and urinary tract infection, after urethrostomy were included in the study. Sublingual mucosa was harvested to graft with abdominal muscles and further made into a tube connecting with the remaining urethra of the bladder at the cranial end and with the prepuce at the caudal end, serving as a new passage for urination. Postoperatively, all cats were alive and well recovered with no complications both in the oral cavity and at the surgical site. Radiography with contrast medium at two weeks and six months after surgery showed no leakage, stricture, or abnormality of the new urination passage. Moreover, all cats were able to urinate from the prepuce without any difficulties or signs of discomfort.