Experience with One-Stage Repair of Urethral Strictures Using the Augmented Anastomotic Repair Technique

INTRODUCTION: We report the results of augmented anastomotic repair (AAR) in the treatment of anterior urethral strictures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, we evaluated 71 consecutive patients who had undergone AAR between June 2004 and June 2013. Medical records were reviewed to identify early postoperative complications based on the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC). Self-developed standardized questionnaires sent to the patients and referring urologists were used to collect data on late complications (>90) days. Stricture recurrence (SR) was defined as any postoperative endoscopic or open surgical intervention on the urethra. The influence of patient demographics, stricture characteristics, and operative procedure performed on the occurrence of SR was analyzed. RESULTS: Early postoperative complications were rare events (11.3%) with only one severe CDC complication. Late complications were reported in 46.5% cases. At a median follow-up of 17 months (range 3-114 months), however, 64 patients had no evidence of SR and required no further intervention, giving an overall success rate of 90.1%. Seven patients with SR had a higher body mass index, were older, and had been operated on by less experienced surgeon(s). Most SRs occurred within the first year after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: AAR was an effective and safe operative technique that allowed one-stage repair in our patients with anterior urethral strictures who needed resection of the scarred urethra and otherwise were not suitable for primary anastomosis or simple substitution urethroplasty.