Technical aspects of the Koff procedure (urethral mobilization) in anterior hypospadias.

INTRODUCTION: In our center the level of division of the corpus spongiosum as the determinant to classifying hypospadias. The hypospadias with a distal division is less severe and they present a little curvature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present a case of distal hypospadias corrected by Koff technique and we showed our tricks for avoiding curvature. RESULTS: In this selected case a Koff procedure are preferred because it has the main advantage of exicing the dysplastic tissues and avoiding a urethroplasty using nonurethral tissues. Late penile curvature is a source of concerns for some, but in our experience no significant curvature was found at follow up. DISCUSSION: We believe that some tricks, showed in our video, are necessary to avoid iatrogenic curvature and to obtain a good cosmetic result. CONCLUSIONS: Koff technique is a good technique for hypospadias with distal division of corpus spongiosum, without significant curvature at follow up.

[Feminizing genitoplasty for prepubertal children and teenagers female]. / Génitoplastie féminisante dans les anomalies du développement sexuel de l'enfant pré-pubère et de l'adolescente au Cameroun. À propos de 9 cas.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to report our experience after 10 years of practice of feminizing genitoplasty in prepubertal and adolescent patients with disorders of sex development (DSD) assigned females as females in a developing country. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and retrospective study over a period of 9 years. All pre-pubertal (8-12 years) and adolescent patients female sex assigned with DSD who had willfully consented to the surgery with their guardians and underwent feminizing genital surgery were enrolled in the study. Data collection included: age at presentation, precise diagnosis, surgical procedures, complications, cosmetic result and duration of follow-up. Each patient had a precise diagnosis and the surgery was planned after discussion with the multidisciplinary team. Cosmetic results were assessed based on: appearance of the clitoris and separation of the vaginal and urethral openings. RESULTS: Nine patients raised as females with a median age of 8 years (IR: 10.75) were recorded. Surgery was performed at a median age of 11 years (IR: 9.5). In this series, 6 had a 46, XY karyotype with varying diagnoses: partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (n=2); 5-alphareductase insufficiency (n=2); 17-ketoreductase insufficiency (n=2); gonadal dysgenesis with a mutation in the NR5A1 gene (n=2), 2 had ovostesticular DSD, (karyotypes 46, XX), and 1 had mixed gonadal dysgenesis (karyotype 45, X/46, XY). Partial or total gonad(s) removal in accordance with assigned gender was the most common associated procedure. It was bilateral in 7 cases and unilateral in 2 cases. Follow-up ranged from 3 months to 4.5 years (median: 26 months, IR:18.25). One patient had acute urinary retention in the early follow-up. No other complication such as incision bleeding was recorded. The cosmetic appearance of the external genitalia was satisfactory in all patients. CONCLUSION: Feminizing genital surgery in Cameroon remains a major challenge and should seldom be realized without a precise diagnosis. Late age at presentation is peculiar to our setting; however, it gives room for the patients' participation and input to decisions that will have a life-long personal impact on their lives in terms of psychosocial development and fertility. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Is it safe to solely use ventral penile tissues in hypospadias repair? Long-term outcomes of 578 Duplay urethroplasties performed in a single institution over a period of 14 years.

OBJECTIVES: Urethral plate tubulization (Thiersch-Duplay procedure) is a widespread procedure mostly used for distal hypospadias. Concerns of long-term outcome have led to this review of the results of a series of 578 cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of 578 patients treated in a single institution following the same procedure and with the same follow-up. Most patients had distal hypospadias (517/578) and were operated on between 12 and 24 months of age (343 patients). The mean follow-up was 25.6 months (6 months-17 years). Evaluation was focused on urethral complications related to inadequate healing of the reconstructed urethra (fistula, urethral dehiscence, urethral stenosis and clinical dysuria). Complications were arbitrarily categorized into early (when occurring less than one year after surgery) and late (after one year). All data were submitted to statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the 578 patients, 153 (26.5%) had unsatisfactory outcomes, of which 118 (20.4%) had inadequate urethral healing. Of these, 97 appeared early (57%) and 73 appeared late (43%). Fistula and dehiscence were significantly more frequent in the first post-operative year (p<0.0001), whereas stenosis of the reconstructed urethra was more frequent after one year. Follow-up and age at last consultation were significantly higher in patients with complications. Limits and flaws of this study focused on the absence of consensus on evaluation of hypospadias surgery. The paucity of literature on long-term outcomes of urethral plate tubulization was highlighted. A possible explanation of late stenosis of the reconstructed urethra was the poor growth capacity of the dysplastic tissues located beyond the division of the corpus spongiosum. Urethroplasties solely using ventral tissues may represent an additional risk of late failure, as they may not grow with the rest of the genital tubercle. CONCLUSION: Significant short and late complications occur with techniques tubularizing the urethral plate, mostly fistulae in the first post-operative year and urethral stenosis after 1 year following surgery. Urethroplasties using ventral tissues may not grow at the same pace as the rest of the genital tubercle and may explain late urethral dysfunction. This series confirms the necessity of long-term follow-up of hypospadias reconstructions.

Urethral advancement in hypospadias with a distal division of the corpus spongiosum: outcome in 158 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Outcome of urethral mobilization and advancement (Koff procedure) in hypospadias with a distal division of the corpus spongiosum and redo cases with distal urethral failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1999 to November 2012, 158 children with a distal hypospadias (115 primary cases and 43 redo cases) underwent surgical repair using the Koff technique with a median age at surgery of 21 months (range, 12-217 months). RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 19 months (median, 14 months). Thirty patients (19%) presented with a complication (13.9% in primary cases and 32.5% in redo surgery) mostly at the beginning of our experience. Meatal stenosis was the most common one (3.5% in primary case, 6% overall). Ventral curvature (>10°), which is considered as a possible long-term iatrogenic complication of the Koff procedure, was not found in patients with fully grown penis except in one redo patient who had, retrospectively, an inadequate indication for this type of repair. Of 158 patients, 33 reached the age of puberty (>14 years old) with a mean follow-up of 34 months, only one presented with a significant ventral curvature. CONCLUSION: Urethral mobilization and advancement is a reasonable alternative for anterior hypospadias and distal fistula repair in selected cases. It has two major advantages compared to other techniques: it avoids any urethroplasty with non-urethral tissue and eliminates dysplastic tissues located beyond the division of the corpus spongiosum, which may not grow at the same pace as the rest of the penis. Significant iatrogenic curvature in fully grown penis is not supported by this series.

Ex vivo absorption of promestriene from oil-in-water emulsion into infant foreskin.

Hypospadias is a birth defect in which the urinary tract opening is not at the tip of the penis. Hypospadias surgery is frequently complicated by healing deficiencies. Topical treatments with oestrogens were reported to improve healing. In the present study, ex vivo percutaneous absorption of promestriene, a synthetic oestrogen resulting of the double esterification of estradiol was conducted as a pre-requisite for further clinical trial in infants. Penetration of promestriene into infant foreskin treated with commercial oil in water emulsion (10 µg mg(-1)) for 24 h was characterized showing controlled release properties enabling epidermal concentration more than six times higher than dermal concentration (4.13±2.46 mg g(-1) versus 0.62±0.84 mg g(-1), respectively). Furthermore, apparent promestriene fluxes into and through the skin (i.e., 1.5 µg cm(-2) h(-1) and<0.89 µg cm(-2) h(-1), respectively) were calculated from (i) drug amount retained into epidermis and dermis, or (ii) the limit of detection into the receptor fluid. In conclusion, less than 2% of initial dose were absorbed within 24h which compared well with others steroids applied topically in colloidal systems.

[What is new about hypospadias?]. / Actualités sur l'hypospade.

Hypospadias surgery has considerably evolved during the last 15 years, thanks to a new anatomical approach of ventral penile anomalies and new techniques of repair. The description of the hypoplasia of the tissues forming the ventral aspect of the penis beyond the division of the corpus spongiosum and the concept of urethral plate are the two key-elements to select the most appropriate technique of reconstruction. These modern concepts and the various surgical techniques used in 2008 are reported here with their results.

[Knee osteotomy versus unicompartmental knee replacement in the treatment of unicompartmental knee arthritis]. / Osteotomia versus proteza unicompartimentala de genunchi în tratamentul gonartrozei unicompartimentale.

Unicompartmental arthritis of the knee is defined as a condition characterized by degenerative articular cartilage in the medial or lateral aspect of the tibiofemoral joint, which may be associated with meniscal disruption, ligamentous instability, and malalignment. The treatment of unicompartmental arthritis of the knee remains a challenge to the orthopaedic surgeon. When non-operative procedures and arthroscopic debridement fail the surgical treatment consist of one of three options: realignment osteotomy, unicompartmental knee replacement or total knee replacement. This article is a review regarding the actual place occupied by the osteotomy and the unicompartmental knee replacement in the treatment of unicompartmental knee arthritis and which parameters lead to a good patient selection in order to obtain successful outcomes.

[Chronic scapulo-humeral instability in children]. / Instabilitatile cronice scapulo-humerale la copil.

The recurrent dislocation of the shoulder is a rare condition during childhood, and it should benefit from an early treatment in order to prevent secondary lesions of the humeral head from appearing. Osteoarthritis in adulthood is a potential complication of this disease. A number of 10 children (5 boys and 5 girls) were treated in our department between 1989 and 1998; 8 of them had the anterior type of dislocation, while 2 children had the posterior type. All children were older than 10. We performed the anterior Bankart procedure in 6 children, the posterior Bankart procedure in 3 cases and Putti-Platt procedure in 2 children, respectively. Surgery was followed by casting for 3 weeks and physical therapy afterwards. We obtained very good results in 4/6 cases. Recurrence appeared in 2 cases--one of them failed to respond again to surgery, the other one refused reintervention. We conclude that a simple and well performed surgical procedure is recommended in children, followed by physical therapy. Psychotherapy can be required if a voluntary component is implicated in producing the dislocation.