Circular Penile Skin Fasciocutaneous Ventral Onlay Flap Urethroplasty as an Alternative to Dorsal Onlay Buccal Mucosal Graft Urethroplasty in Complex Long-Segment Urethral Stricture: A Retrospective Study

Background A urethral stricture is the narrowing of the urethra that results in symptoms of obstruction. It can appear anywhere along the male urethra's length and has a variety of causes. The circular penile fasciocutaneous flap is employed in the successful single-stage reconstruction of long-segment complex anterior urethral strictures especially when the buccal mucosa is unavailable due to various reasons. The study has tried to identify a surgical technique that is more beneficial for the treatment of urethral strictures. Objective The objective of this research was to evaluate the outcomes of circular penile skin fasciocutaneous ventral onlay flap urethroplasty (group A) and the outcomes of dorsal onlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty (group B) in the management of complex long-segment penile urethral stricture. Methods In this retrospective study between December 2012 and December 2022, 60 patients with long-segment complex penile urethral stricture who underwent urethroplasty at our center were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups according to the flap used (dorsal onlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty was used in 30 patients (group B), and circular penile fasciocutaneous flap (single stage) was used in 30 patients (group A)). The success rate and the mean peak flow rate were also calculated post-operation to identify the effectiveness of the surgical procedure used for urethral strictures. Results The study consisted of 60 patients in total. Group A's mean age was determined to be 51.2±16.2 years, whereas group B's mean age was determined to be 40.7±16.8 years. Preoperatively, the median urethral stricture length was 69 mm in group A (range: 20-100 mm) and 56 mm in group B (range: 30-110 mm). The intraoperative median length of the urethral stricture was 82 mm in group A (range: 20-120 mm) and 65 mm in group B (range: 40-140 mm). The mean peak flow rate was 30.9±6.8 mL/s in group A compared to 18.1±4.9 mL/s in group B. The success rate for group A was 89.7%, while the success rate for group B was 75.9%. Conclusion For complex long-segment urethral strictures, circular penile skin fasciocutaneous ventral onlay flap urethroplasty has a higher rate of success and fewer complications than dorsal onlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty. Along with success rate, it has a better mean peak flow rate and lower complications.