To describe the feasibility of a novel cell-based endoscopic technique using buccal epithelium, expanded and encapsulated in a thermoreversible gelation polymer scaffold for the treatment of urethral stricture.
Six male patients with bulbar urethral stricture ranging from 2.0 to 3.5 cm in length were included in this pilot study. Autologous buccal epithelial cells from a small buccal mucosal biopsy were isolated, cultured and encapsulated in thermoreversible gelation polymer scaffold, and were implanted at the stricture site after a wide endoscopic urethrotomy.
All the patients voided well, with a mean peak flow rate of 24 mL/s. Urethroscopy carried out at 6 months showed healthy mucosa at the urethrotomy site. However, two of the six patients had recurrence at 18 and 24 months, respectively.
This endoscopic-based Buccal epithelium Expanded and Encapsulated in Scaffold-Hybrid Approach to Urethral Stricture (BEES-HAUS) technique is a promising alternative for the open substitution buccal graft urethroplasty. It is possible to achieve the benefits of open substitution buccal urethroplasty with this endoscopic technique.
International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association. 2018 Nov 22 [Epub ahead of print]
Surya P Vaddi, Vijaya B Reddy, Samuel Jk Abraham
Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Narayana Medical College Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India., The Mary-Yoshio Translational Hexagon, Nichi-In Center for Regenerative Medicine, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.