Reconstruction of Urethra

Urethral reconstruction is a surgery for men performed for narrowing of the urethra which could have been after trauma to urethra after pelvic fracture, or after prostate disease treatment, or due to infection. It involves removing the damaged section and reattach with two healthy ends or augmenting the urethra with a graft.

The urethra is a tube that carries urine from bladder to penis and out of the body. Due to narrowing of urethra the urine flow could be slowed or stopped based on severity.

Diagnosis & Tests:

• Retrograde urethrogram- analyses the urethral calibre by using contrast dye and X-rays
• Cystoscopy- uses specialised telescope to look inside the bladder
• MRI(Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Voiding Cystourethrogram

In some cases, the healthy ends can’t be stitched back together after removal of scar tissue. In this case, the gap between the urethral ends is repaired by using tissue graft. The mostly commonly used tissue in reconstruction of urethra is taken from the inside cheek from your mouth called buccal mucosa.

Risks:

• Infection 
• Urinary incontinence
• Recurrence