RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intermediate-term clinical efficacy and success rate of tunica vaginalis (TV) pedicle flap for reconstruction of bulbo-penile urethral stricture. METHODS: We assessed the medical records of 15 male patients who had undergone TV pedicle flap urethroplasty for reconstruction of anterior urethral stricture between January 2006 and December 2011. The surgical outcome was assessed by comparison of four parameters including the maximum flow rate (Qmax ), international prostate symptom score (IPSS), residual urine (RU) and quality of life (QOL) in all patients pre- and postoperatively. Moreover, pre- and postoperative retrograde urethrography films were compared in all patients. t-test was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 38.1 ± 9.3 years (range: 25-55), mean stricture length was 4.2 ± 1.1 cm (range: 3-6.1 cm), and the mean follow up time was 14.6 ± 1.9 months (range: 12-18) months. There was a statistically significant difference between Q(max) , IPSS, RU and QOL pre- and postoperatively (P < 0.01). The clinical success rate in this study was 86.6% (13/15). The early complication was one case of wound infection and subsequent wound dehiscence, one case of hematoma formation in another patient, which did not have any influence in the long-term clinical outcome. CONCLUSION: At intermediate-term follow up, TV pedicle flap urethroplasty has a high clinical success rate with low complication. However, a large clinical trial with long-term follow up is needed to confirm the result.
