Urological results and patient satisfaction in adolescents after surgery for proximal hypospadias in childhood.

BACKGROUND: Proximal hypospadias repair is associated with a considerable complication risk. Long-term follow-up is required to present realistic expectations in pre-operative counseling. OBJECTIVE: To investigate adolescents after childhood surgery for proximal hypospadias in a prospective cohort study describing the urological outcome, complication rates and patient satisfaction with penile appearance. STUDY DESIGN: 39 adolescents ≥14 years with penoscrotal to perineal hypospadias and primary urethroplasty (tubularized incised plate (TIP), preputial flap as Onlay or tubularized (Duckett)) from 1996 to 2005 at a single center were evaluated. The clinical assessment, at Md 16.5 years (14-25), included voiding history, genital examination including the Hypospadias Objective Scoring Evaluation (HOSE), uroflowmetry plus chart data from previous urinary flows and evaluation of patient satisfaction using the Penile Perception Score (PPS). RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with penoscrotal and 10 with scrotal/perineal hypospadias underwent surgery with TIP (N = 14), Onlay (N = 14) and Duckett (N = 11). Uroflows improved significantly compared with prepubertal maximal flows. Impaired flow rate (<10 mL/s) was found in 14% (5/36). Fifty-one percent (20/39) required reoperations, 29% (4/14) of TIP, 50% (7/14) of Onlay and 82% (9/11) of Duckett (p = 0.0062). Median penile length in adolescence was 8.7 cm (4.0-11.0). Forty-four percent (12/27) of patients were dissatisfied with penile length. Patients were 'satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with meatal position and shape despite HOSE for meatal position being 11% (4/38) distal, 76% (29/38) proximal glanular and 13% (5/38) coronal. TIP patients had more curvature at puberty than Duckett (p = 0.0062). Patients that had a decurvature procedure had shorter penile length (p = 0.019). DISCUSSION: A high complication rate is previously described, predominantly within the first years. Our study shows 50% of reoperations were performed after >3 years, illustrating the need for long-term follow-up. Patient satisfaction with a deviant meatal position is rarely reported [1,2]. Our results support a conservative approach to an asymptomatic retracted meatus. Limitations of this descriptive study are the non-comparable groups and the retrospective data for correlation, impeding evaluation of prognostic outcome-factors. The shorter penile length found in patients after plication, and increased curvature after TIP, is therefore merely descriptive. However, the findings are in line with earlier publications suggesting limited use of TIP, and plication (recommending ventral lengthening instead) to avoid penile shortening and curvature in these cases [3-5]. CONCLUSIONS: The urological long-term outcome after proximal hypospadias repair is good, although late reoperations are common. In adolescence, patients were dissatisfied with the short penile length but satisfied with meatal position, indicating that in proximal hypospadias, preserving penile length and correcting curvature are prioritized over a distal meatus.

Normalized Urinary Flow at Puberty after Tubularized Incised Plate Urethroplasty for Hypospadias in Childhood.

PURPOSE: An obstructive urinary flow pattern is frequently seen after tubularized incised plate urethroplasty for hypospadias. However, the significance of this finding has not been determined and long-term results are few. We describe postoperative long-term uroflowmetry results after puberty in males who underwent tubularized incised plate urethroplasty in childhood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 126 boys underwent tubularized incised plate urethroplasty for distal penile to mid shaft hypospadias at Queen Silvia Children's Hospital in Gothenburg between 1999 and 2003. Of the patients 48 were toilet trained at surgery. We report on 40 patients who had data available at 2 and 12 months postoperatively, 7 years postoperatively and at puberty (median age 15.0 years, range 13.7 to 17.1). Of the patients 31 had distal and 9 had mid penile hypospadias. Clinical examination, urinary medical history, uroflowmetry and ultrasound measuring residual urine were performed. Maximum urinary flow was correlated to age and voided volume, using Miskolc nomograms for comparison of percentiles. RESULTS: At 1 year postoperatively 15 boys (37.5%) had normal urinary flow (above 25th percentile), compared to 16 (40%) at 7 years and 38 (95%) at puberty (p <0.0001). Improvement was significant in patients with distal (p <0.0001) and mid penile hypospadias (p = 0.008), as well as in patients who did (p = 0.0078) and did not undergo intervention (p <0.0001). During followup 5 patients underwent meatotomy due to obstructive symptoms and 4 underwent dilation. Three of these 9 patients had lichen sclerosus. CONCLUSIONS: There is great potential for normalization of urinary flow at puberty for boys with hypospadias treated with tubularized incised plate urethroplasty. Unless symptoms occur, a conservative approach seems preferable.

Hypospadias repair with tubularized incised plate: Does the obstructive flow pattern resolve spontaneously?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate whether urinary flow improves with time after tubularized incised plate (TIP) repair. PATIENTS AND METHOD: Between 1999 and 2003, primary TIP was performed in 126 boys. In patients old enough (48 boys, mean age at surgery 46 months, range 18-103), uroflowmetry was performed 1 year and 7 (median, range 3-10) years post surgery. Miskolc nomograms were used to compare results from the two follow ups (Q(max) in relation to voided volume and age). RESULTS: Eleven boys had symptoms of obstruction resulting in intervention. For the other 37 boys, the mean Q(max) was 13.6 ± 5.6 ml/s 1 year postoperatively (mean voided volume 107 ± 43 ml) and 49% had flows below the 5th percentile. Seven years postoperatively the mean Q(max) was 19.0 ± 8.1 ml/s (mean voided volume 235 ± 112 ml) and 32% had flows below the 5th percentile. In the group with flows below the 5th percentile at 1 year, all improved and 28% improved to above the 25th percentile. Proximal hypospadias was more often associated with obstructive flow than distal (75%/75% compared to 43%/21% 1/7 years postoperatively). CONCLUSION: We found spontaneous improvement (P = 0.00022) 7 years after TIP repair, although many boys still had a Q(max) in the low normal or obstructive range.

Hypospadias repair with tubularized incised plate. Is uroflowmetry necessary postoperatively?

OBJECTIVE: Hypospadias repair with tubularized incised plate urethroplasty (TIP) produces good cosmesis, but is reported to result in a change in urinary stream postoperatively, with an obstructive pattern. The aim of this retrospective study was to determine whether early uroflowmetry is a good method for diagnosing neourethral stricture. PATIENTS AND METHOD: In 126 boys, primary TIP repair was performed between 1999 and 2003. Uroflowmetry was performed in potty-trained boys 2 months' postoperatively (68 boys) and both 2 and 12 months (38 boys) after TIP. Boys with obstructed flow and/or clinical symptoms were calibrated in their neourethra. RESULTS: Forty-nine percent of the boys with distal hypospadias and 87% of the proximal cases had a flow rate of less than 10 ml/s at uroflowmetry 2 months after TIP, but only 12/126 boys (10%) were considered to have a neourethral stricture. There was a spontaneous increase in maximum flow rate between 2 and 12 months after TIP repair both in patients who had been calibrated and in boys in whom no intervention had been performed. CONCLUSION: Early uroflowmetry appears to be unnecessary, as the voiding history appears to be just as good at alerting a suspicion of urethral stricture after TIP repair. There is a spontaneous normalization of the urinary flow in boys after TIP repair, but the need for long-term follow up beyond puberty is great, especially in cases of proximal hypospadias.