Long-term outcomes from a multi-institutional experience with prefabricated composite gracilis-buccal mucosal flap for reconstruction of devastated urethras

Purpose Patients with devastated bulbar urethras have limited surgical options to restore normal upright voiding. We investigated the long-term feasibility of using two independently vascularized urethral hemi-plates lined with buccal mucosal graft (BMG) to treat these patients. Methods A multi-institutional retrospective review was conducted for patients that underwent this staged repair. In stage-1, the affected urethra is dissected and removed or prepared for a dorsal inlay augmentation. Two BMG segments are harvested; one graft is quilted on corpora cavernosa and urethra, creating an augmented perineal urethrostomy, and the other is quilted on the exposed distal gracilis muscle. Stage-2 utilizes the gracilis-BMG composite to recreate ventral bulbar urethra. The primary outcome measure was stricture recurrence. Secondary outcome measures included patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Results Five patients with mean age of 50 years (45-56) underwent staged repairs at two institutions between 7/2014 and 4/2016. All patients presented with suprapubic tubes and underwent at least one prior failed repair (1-9). Mean stricture length was 7.2 cm (5-9). Mean time between stage-1 and stage-2 repairs was 6.2 weeks (1-10). At a mean follow-up of 61 months (39-87), there were no recurrences. The mean uroflow was 20 cc/s (9-42) with a mean PVR of 59 cc (0-157). Four patients completed post-operative surveys; all reported at least a moderate improvement in their condition on Global Response Assessment (GRA), and a mean IPSS of 7.3 (0-26). Conclusions Our bi-institutional case series demonstrates that this technique is a feasible option for devastated urethras with long-term durability.