Dorsal vertical island flap urethroplasty in children with hypospadias: a single center’s experience 75 patients

Abstract

Objective To assess the results and complications of dorsal vertical island flap (DVIF) urethroplasty.Methods A total of 175 children were operated on for hypospadias. Out of these, 41 with proximal hypospadias with severe chordee required two-stage urethroplasty. In 18 babies with glanular hypospadias, a meatal advancement and glanuloplasty procedure was done. In 25 babies with mid-penile and distal penile hypospadias, tubularized incised urethral plate (TIP) urethroplasty was the option. 16 babies with unhealthy urethral plate and chordee were chosen for dorsal vertical tube urethroplasty after excision of the urethral plate. The rest of the 75 babies with proximal, mid-penile or distal penile hypospadias with no or minimal chordee after degloving and poor urethral plate were chosen for DVIF urethroplasty. These 75 babies with DVIF were followed up from 3 months to 5 years to assess complications such as urethrocutaneous fistula, meatal stenosis, glans dehiscence, megalourethra or urethral diverticulum, stricture, and penile torsion/rotation.Results A total of 75 patients with proximal, mid-penile, or distal penile hypospadias in whom DVIF was used during the study period were included. The mean age was 3.7 years, ranging from 8 months to 14 years. Fourteen patients developed complications (18.6%). The most common complication was urethrocutaneous fistula, which was seen in seven (9.3%) patients. Glans dehiscence was seen in five patients (6.6%), and one had meatal stenosis with diverticulum formation. Skin necrosis was observed in one patient. In 61 patients, stream was good, with no torsion, and good cosmetic appearance was observed.Conclusions DVIF is a good alternative to TIP in mid-penile and distal penile hypospadias. Our early experience with DVIF urethroplasty showed an acceptable rate of complications and good cosmetic results.