Urethroplasty is a surgical procedure that repairs the walls of the urethra in conditions like urethral strictures. Urethral strictures can occur because of scar formation at the site of trauma in the urethra. As a result of the formation of a stricture, the patient may experience symptoms like frequent urination, urinary infections, an increase in time taken to empty the bladder, and a decrease in urine flow rate. Using buccal mucosal grafts to reconstruct the urethra has a higher success rate than any other graft.
How is Urethroplasty Performed: Before, During and After
Before undergoing urethroplasty, the patient will need to undergo a few investigations like urinalysis for the presence of blood, urine culture to rule out infections, cystoscopy to locate the site of the stricture, and imaging procedures like voiding cystourethrogram.Â
Surgical procedures like urethroplasty include resectioning the obstructed part and joining the two normal ends. Usually, surgery can join both ends directly without using a graft. However, if it is not possible, an additional tissue or graft is used to reconstruct the urethra. The buccal mucosal graft is most commonly used out of all the possible options.Â
After the surgery, a catheter is placed in the urethra for approximately 2-4 weeks. Basic imaging is done to check whether healing has occurred or not. The catheter is removed if the imaging shows normal functioning of the urethra. Since urethral strictures tend to recur, especially within a few years of the surgery, the patient should follow up regularly.
Risks And Complications Of Urethroplasty
The most important risk associated with urethroplasty is the recurrence of the urethral stricture. Hence, regular follow-ups are advised by the doctor. A few complications related to catheters include urinary tract infections and blockage or leakage of the catheter. Other complications include erectile dysfunction, pain in the scrotum due to damage to the nerves, and leakage of urine or semen. Most of the complications are temporary and improve over time. However, stricture formation within two years of the surgery remains the most important complication.
