Dorsal graft urethroplasty for female urethral stricture.
OBJECTIVE
Urethral strictures in females are uncommon, and treatment options and outcome are not well-defined with scanty reports. We describe a new method of urethroplasty for the repair of female urethral stricture.


METHODS
Three 60-year-old females, each with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections and obstructive voiding symptoms due to urethral stricture, underwent urethroplasty with a dorsal vaginal or buccal mucosal graft. The dorsal aspect of the distal urethra was dissected from the surrounding tissue through a suprameatal incision and the urethral wall was incised through the stricture at the 12 o'clock position. A 1.5 cm wide free graft was harvested from the vaginal wall or buccal mucosa in 1 case, and the mucosal surface was placed upon the urethral lumen and sutured with a running 5-zero polyglactin suture to the open urethra. Indwelling 18Fr urethral and 16Fr suprapubic catheters were left in place for 2 and 3 weeks, respectively.


RESULTS
No additional treatment was required during the 1, 8 and 27 months of followup. All patients had normal micturition following catheter removal.


CONCLUSIONS
Dorsal graft urethroplasty is feasible and effective for the correction of persistent female urethral stricture.
Tsivian
Alexander
A
Department of Urologic Surgery, Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Sidi
A Ami
AA
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014521:Urethra / Q000601:surgery*; D014525:Urethral Stricture / Q000601:surgery*; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods