Hypospadias repair in adults: adventures and misadventures.

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term results and complications we reviewed the records of 42 consecutive men 18 to 47 years old (mean age 22.5) who underwent hypospadias repair between 1979 and 1999.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population was divided into groups 1 consisting of 8 patients without previous hypospadias surgery, 2 consisting of 12 who underwent 1 or more procedures in childhood but in whom local tissue was relatively intact and 3 consisting of 22 who underwent multiple unsuccessful hypospadias repairs with various degrees of penile deformity and loss of local tissue.

RESULTS: Complications were noted in 3 of 8 (37.5%), 5 of 12 (41.67%) and 14 of 22 (63.6%) patients in groups 1 to 3, including 3 (100%), 4 (80%) and 10 (71.4%), respectively, in whom secondary surgery was successful in the long term. A patient in group 2 and 2 in group 3 await further surgery, while 2 in group 3 were lost to followup. Overall primary complications developed in 22 of the 42 men (52.3%) and 5 of the 22 (22.7%) had secondary complications. There was long-term success in 37 of 42 cases (88.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: The results of hypospadias repair in adulthood differ from the results of similar procedures in childhood. Although the various techniques are similar, there is clearly a difference in terms of wound healing, infection, complication rates and overall success. Adults undergoing hypospadias repair must be counseled on all of these variables to avoid unreasonable expectations.