Stricture of Urethra: Patterns and Outcomes of Management from a Single Centre in Pakistan Over 7 Years.

Objective: To determine the outcomes of urethroplasty and its complications from a large cohort of patients managed in a single centre. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Urology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Karachi, from January 2010 to December 2016. Methodology: A total of 546 patients with stricture urethra at different locations underwent urethroplasty from January 2010 to December 2016 were included. All patients had an ascending urethrogram followed by retrograde +/- antegrade urethroscopy to assess the location and length of the stricture. Technique of urethroplasty was chosen according to the site, length and etiology. Following appropriate procedure, patients were followed up in the dedicated urethral stricture clinic. Procedure was considered successful if either no further therapeutic intervention was required and the maximum flow rate (Qmax) was >20 ml/sec with a voided volume of at least 200 mls. The procedure was regarded as unsuccessful, if further treatment was required or Qmax was <10ml/sec. Results: A total of 546 patients with mean age of 32.3 +13.1 years (range: 12-74) involving anterior (n=323, 59.2%) or posterior (n=223, 40.8%) urethra were treated. Mean follow-up was 43.6 months (range: 3-84). The success rates of bulbar urethral strictures after excision and primary anastomosis (EPA) was 93. 3%, non-transecting urethroplasty 84.6% and oral mucosal graft (OMG), 81.8%. In penile urethral strictures, OMG, Orandi procedure and Johanson's techniques yielded success rates of 88.4%, 66.6% and 57.1%, respectively. In posterior urethral strictures, after excision and bulboprostatic anastomosis, good results were seen in 88.3%. In pan-urethral strictures, abdominal skin graft repair, combined tissue transfer and OMG urethroplasty yielded success rates of 74%, 78.5% and 75%, respectively. The complications/ adverse events were encountered in 251 / 546 (45.9%) patients in this series. Conclusion: Anastomotic urethroplasty yielded best outcomes followed by OMG urethroplasty. In the long-term follow-up, erectile dysfunction (ED), infertility and recurrence of stricture are the main complications which need individualised management.