Urethroplasty of extensive penile urethral strictures with a longitudinal ventral tubed flap of penile skin (modified Orandi urethroplasty): 20 years of follow-up of two cases

Abstract

The surgical treatment of extensive urethral strictures remains a controversial topic; although techniques have evolved, there is still no definite method of choice. Since 1968, when Orandi presented an original technique for one-stage urethroplasty using a penile skin flap, the Orandi technique has become the most prevalently used one-stage procedure for anterior urethral strictures. We present a 20-year follow-up experience with one-stage reconstruction of long urethral strictures using a longitudinal ventral tubed flap of penile skin, with some important technical changes to Orandi’s original technique to overcome the deficient vascularity caused by periurethral scar tissue. In 1997, a 55-year-old male patient complained of severe voiding difficulty and a weak urinary stream because of transurethral resection of the prostate due to benign prostatic hyperplasia. Another 47-year-old male patient had the same problem due to self-removal of a Foley catheter in 2002. In both patients, a urethrogram demonstrated extensive strictures involving the long segment of the anterior urethra. A rectangular skin flap on the ventral surface of the penis was used considering the appropriate length, diameter, and depth of the neourethra. The modified Orandi flap provided a pedicled strip of penile skin measuring an average of 8 cm. The mean duration of follow-up was 20.5 years. A long-term evaluation revealed stable performance characteristics without any complications.

Keywords

• surgical flap
• urethroplasty
• urethral stricture