What does partial urethroplasty mean?

  Simply put, a partial urethroplasty is a procedure in which a portion of the missing urethra is made during one surgery, and the remainder is completed during the next surgery. This means that the entire urethra is made good after two surgeries, which is a surgical method guided by today’s view of staged hypospadias repair.  When would this method of partial urethroplasty be used?  This is usually for patients who have a severely curved penis, a long length of urethral defect after correction of the penile curvature (such as scrotal hypospadias, perineal hypospadias, etc.), a poorly developed glans is relatively small, and the urethral groove is very shallow and narrow, making it unsuitable for a phase I surgery and requiring the option of staged surgery. In the first stage surgery, a certain section of the urethra is made out in addition to correcting the curvature of the penis. For example, the distal urethra (including the glans) is made out and the proximal urethra waits for the next surgery; or the proximal urethra is made out and the distal urethra waits for the next surgery; or the distal and proximal urethra may be made out and the middle section waits for the next surgery. This requires the surgeon to make specific arrangements and implement them according to the actual situation during the surgery.  What are the benefits of performing a partial urethroplasty?  First of all, it is in line with the active staging of hypospadias repair, with the ultimate goal of creating a “good urethra” and a “good penis”, while taking into account the patient’s specific conditions and having individual characteristics. This method reduces the pressure of second-stage surgery, avoids complications that can easily arise from forming a long urethra at once, and facilitates the healing of the formed urethra; moreover, the secretions in the urethra are easily excreted after surgery, reducing the chance of infection and helping to prevent the occurrence of urinary fistula.