A Case Report on a Fossa Navicularis Stricture Repaired using a Transurethral Ventral Buccal Mucosal Graft Inlay Urethroplasty Technique: A First in the Philippines

Abstract

Objective: To describe the technique and report the first transurethral buccal mucosal graft ventral inlay (Nikolavsky Technique) urethroplasty done in the Philippines, in a patient who had a fossa navicularis stricture extending to the distal penile urethra.

Methods: Reported here is a case of a twenty-seven-year-old male who had a 40% distal urethral mucosal tear, as seen on initial cystoscopy, following traumatic catherization. The urethral tear was initially managed with a foley catheter maintained for a month. However, the patient eventually developed a 4 cm stricture extending from the fossa navicularis to the distal penile urethra. A ventral buccal mucosal graft was placed on the denuded urethral plate as an inlay patch via the transurethral route. No skin incisions nor penile degloving was done.

Results: Total operative time was four hours, including graft harvest time, with approximately 400 ml blood loss. The patient was sent home on the 3rd postoperative day. The urethral catheter was removed after 14 days. Post-operative follow-up was performed at 0-, 3- 6- and 12-months. A repeat voiding cystourethrogram was performed at 4 weeks showing no narrowing at the prior stricture site. On 12 months follow-up, uroflowmetry showed a Q-max of 20ml/sec with minimal residual urine. LUTS symptom scoring was at 7 and IIEF-5 score of 25

Conclusion: Repair of distal urethral strictures can be done using transurethral ventral buccal mucosa graft inlay urethroplasty. It can be challenging for longer strictures (>4 cm) but easily reproducible for shorter ones. The technique demonstrated good results on medium term follow-up. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case that utilized this technique in the Philippines.