Advantages (+):
- very good prospects of recovery
Disadvantages (-):
- extensive extration of oral mucosa from the mouth area
- oftenly scarring development in the mouth
- occurance of loss of the lower lip’s flexibility possible
- numbness in mouth, cheeks or lips can occur
- changes in the facial expression as well as limitations in speaking and drinking possible
- enhanced salivation can occur
- longer operation time due to the demand for two surgical interventions at urethra and mouth
- risk for injury of salivary glands entry
- in case of relapse there is no sufficient oral mucosa remaining or oral muscosa has to be extracted again from the injured mouth area
- treatment method is not verified by independent and prospective studies
- many doctors lack of knowledge for surgeries in the mouth area, since urologists are usually not educated for surgical interventions in the mouth area
The benefits of urethral reconstruction with oral mucosa cells in detail!
Urethral reconstruction with oral mucosa cells
In case of recurrence of a urethral stricture an urethral reconstruction by means of an open surgery will be necessary. Hereby the doctor removes the narrowing of the urethra and sews both endings directly to one another. This kind of surgery is only applicable for recovery of shorter narrowings of urethra, whereas a high success rate is reported.
For longer narrowings of urethra of more than four centimetres another surgical method has to be carried out. In that case the urethra will be replaced by a urethroplasty – also a proven method for avulsion of urethra. For reconstruction of the missing parts, medicines usually apply tissue from prepuce, oral mucosa or other mucosa from the patient.
The type of mucosa chosen depends on several factors. Oral mucosa is a well-proofed replacement, but several side effects such as pain or numbness in the mouth area can occur.
Urethral reconstruction is an extremely difficult surgical intervention which should only be conducted by well-experienced surgeons. In case of complicated narrowing of urethra more than one operation can be necessary. For the period between the surgeries several months have to be considered.
After the final intervention a catheter will remain in urethra as a splint for a maximum of three weeks.