title: Age does not impact risk for urethroplasty complications after tubularized incised plate repair of hypospadias in prepubertal boys.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Patients often present before or after the recommended age of 6-18 months for hypospadias repair. Reports indicate complications may increase when repair is delayed past 6-12 months of age. We questioned if age was an independent risk for urethroplasty complications (UC).
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospectively maintained database of consecutive patients undergoing tubularized incised plate (TIP) repair was queried for age at surgery, primary or reoperative TIP, meatal location, glansplasty suture, and learning curve. The presence of UC (fistula, dehiscence, stricture, meatal stenosis) was analyzed with logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TIP repairs were performed for 669 consecutive prepubertal patients aged 3-144 months (mean 17.1, SD 22.5). Original meatal location was distal in 540 (80.7%), midshaft in 50 (7.5%), and proximal in 79 (11.8%). Reoperative TIP occurred in 73 (10.9%). UC occurred in 77 (11.5%). Reoperative TIP (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.54-6.13) and meatal location (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.34-2.40) were the only independent risk factors for UC. Neither younger nor older age increased risk for UC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data from consecutive TIP repairs in prepubertal children indicate age at surgery does not increase odds of UC. Surgery can be performed any time after 3 months (in full-term, healthy boys) without raising the rate of UC.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Urology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and, Children's Medical Center, 2350 Stemmons Freeway Suite F4300, Mail Stop F4.04, Dallas, TX 75207, USA. nicol.bush@childrens.com
authors.forename: Nicol Corbin
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Bush
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holzer
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Warren
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Snodgrass
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007021:Hypospadias / Q000601:surgery*; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014521:Urethra / Q000601:surgery*; D013521:Urologic Surgical Procedures, Male / Q000009:adverse effects