Surgical reconstruction of the male urethral diverticulum

Objectives: To describe the outcomes and reconstructive techniques used for men with symptomatic urethral diverticula in an attempt to standardize treatment based on the length of the urethral defect after diverticulum excision and the type of repair used. Urethral diverticula are rare in men and may be either congenital or acquired.

Methods: Between 2003 and 2008, 13 men were treated surgically for symptomatic urethral diverticula at a single institution by a single surgeon (C.M.G.). A total of 6 (46.2%) patients had urethral defects of < 4 cm and underwent excision of the diverticulum with primary anastomosis. Substitution urethroplasty using either penile skin or buccal mucosa was used in 7 (53.8%) patients with urethral defects of >or= 4 cm. Demographic and preoperative characteristics were compared among patients according to the length of the urethral defect.

Results: The mean age of men at the time of surgery was 38.4 years (+/- 13.0; range, 20.4-63.7), with a median follow-up time of 21.7 (+/- 29.0; range, 0.9-84.0) months. Neither age at the time of surgery, length of follow-up, or diverticulum volume was significantly different between men who underwent primary repair vs substitution urethroplasty. The overall success rate was 92% (12/13) with an overall complication rate of 42% at intermediate follow-up.

Conclusions: Outcomes after excision and primary anastomosis for diverticula associated with defects of < 4 cm were similar to outcomes after diverticulum excision and substitution urethroplasty for defect of >or= 4 cm.