Safety and mid-term surgical results of anterior urethroplasty with the tissue-engineered oral mucosa graft MukoCell® : A single-center experience

Abstract

Objective: To assess the mid-term efficacy and safety of anterior urethroplasty using an autologous tissue-engineered oral mucosa graft (MukoCell^® ).

Methods: The data of 77 patients with anterior urethral strictures undergoing treatment with MukoCell^® at a tertiary center from June 2016 to May 2019 were analyzed. Patients' characteristics, pre- and postoperative diagnostics, perioperative complications, and follow-up data were obtained. The overall stricture-free survival, outcomes of the different surgical techniques, stricture localizations, stricture length, early complications of the procedure and risk factors of recurrence were assessed.

Results: The median follow-up period was 38 months (interquartile range 31-46). The overall recurrence-free rate of anterior urethroplasty using MukoCell^® was 68.8%, 24 patients (31.2%) developed a recurrence of the stricture. The stricture recurrences were observed at a median of 7 months (interquartile range 3-13) only in patients with at least one previous surgery or repeated dilatations in their medical history. No oral-urethral adverse events related to the use of MukoCell^® were observed, except for a urethrocutaneous fistula (1.3%) requiring reoperation.

Conclusions: Anterior one-stage urethroplasty using MukoCell^® showed in our hands a mid-term success rate of up to 68.8% without significant adverse events after a median follow-up period of 38 months. This procedure might be an alternative option for long-segment urethral reconstruction.

Keywords: anterior urethral stricture; autologous transplantation; male urological surgery; oral mucosa; tissue engineering.