Experience with lyophilized human dura mater for urethral strictures.

PURPOSE

We report our results using lyophilized human dura mater for urethral strictures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The results of 131 urethroplasties using lyophilized human dura mater grafts were reviewed. The etiology of the stricture was unknown in most cases and 44.3% had not been previously treated. Mean stricture length was 10 cm. A dura mater patch was used in 124 cases and tubular graft in 7.

RESULTS

Average followup was 56.6 months. The overall complication rate during the first month was 16.3%. At 6 months the graft failed in 2 cases and 25.2% had stricture recurrence. Good results were obtained in the longer term in 41.1% of cases, with a high recurrence rate and malignancy in 4 cases (3.2%) which required penectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite being a biologically well tolerated material, lyophilized human dura mater is not good for urethral strictures because of the high number of relapses and possibility of malignancy.