Dorsal Corporoplasty Techniques in the Management of Chordee Associated with Severe Hypospadias at a Teaching Hospital in Yaoundé, Cameroon: A Retrospective Study

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of hypospadias is 1 in 300 male births, of whom one in four will have some form of chordee. Correction of the chordee is imperative but presents a challenge with complications, including residual chordee, penile nodulations, and shortening. This study aimed at reporting the outcomes and at sharing our experience with the surgical correction of chordee associated with hypospadias at the Yaounde Gyneco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital (YGOPH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective cross-sectional study covering an eight-year period from 1 January 2010 to December 2017 at the Pediatric Surgery Service of the YGOPH. The study included all files of patients with severe hypospadias who underwent chordee correction using dorsal corporoplasty techniques and were reviewed for outcome evaluation. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 22 (55%) had chordee corrected by the Nesbit corporoplasty technique, 13 (32.5%) by the Tunica Albuginia Plication (TAP) corporoplasty technique, and five (12.5%) by the Yachia corporoplasty technique. The median age at surgery was six (five to seven) years. The median follow-up period for the patients was five (three to six) years. Penile nodules were not observed in our series. Penile shortening was identified in four patients (18.2%) after Nesbit corporoplasty. Four patients had a residual chordee that was significant enough, requiring another correction. CONCLUSION: Irrespective of the technique of dorsal corporoplasty used in the correction of chordee associated with severe hypospadias, penile nodulation and shortening are not of concern, and residual chordee, if present, is usually mild and does not require any correction.