Introduction: Urethral reconstruction is difficult when the genital skin is not available for surgery. We evaluate the feasibility of using the autologous fascia lata as a graft for urethral repair. Materials and Methods: 10 male rabbits underwent urethroplasty after creation of a ventral urethral defect. The defect was repaired using a graft harvested from the fascia lata. The animals were divided into three groups and sacrificed at 2, 4 and 12 weeks postoperatively. Radiologic control was performed after 10–12 days and before sacrifice. Results: In the 10 rabbits subjected to surgery, no case of death or wound infection was observed. During urethrography, a fistula was observed in 2 animals. In the remainder (n = 8), histological analysis showed the preservation of the original laminar structure without graft shrinkage or fibrosis. On the luminal side of the patch, a new line of urothelium appeared in the 2nd week after surgery. After 3 months, the new epithelium was multilayered and the graft edges were not detectable. No voiding dysfunction was detectable in 8 rabbits. Conclusions: Our study suggests the feasibility of using the autologous fascia lata for urethral patch repair.

Keywords:
Urethra, Urethral stricture, Urethroplasty, Hypospadias, Fascia lata, Rabbit
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© 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel
2003
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