Male epispadias repair: Outcomes at three sites prior to the establishment of a multi-institutional collaboration

Introduction Epispadias, which occurs on the more mild end of the Bladder Exstrophy Epispadias Complex (BEEC) spectrum, presents still with a wide range of severity in boys, from mild glanular epispadias to penopubic epispadias with severe urethral and bladder neck defects. Surgical management ranges from isolated epispadias repair to epispadias repair with bladder neck reconstruction (BNR) with or without pelvic osteotomies. Objectives We aimed to evaluate outcomes in epispadias treated at three institutions prior to formation of a formal collaboration. In addition, we sought to delineate outcomes based on anatomic severity at time of diagnosis, and initial procedure performed in cases of penopubic epispadias. Methods IRB approved databases were retrospectively queried at three institutions for patients who underwent repair of epispadias between 1/1993 and 1/2013. Degree of epispadias, age and technique at initial repair, and self-reported continence status at last follow-up were recorded. Continence was categorized as: wet, intermediate (dry 2–3 h), or dry, while also distinguishing those who void and those who require clean intermittent catheterization (CIC). Those not seen since 1/1/2015, younger than 10 years at last follow up, or in whom continence data were not recorded were excluded. Results A total of 48 boys were identified; 36 met inclusion criteria. The epispadias cohort consisted of 8 glanular epispadias (GE) (22%); 8 penile epispadias (PE) (22%), and 20 penopubic epispadias (PPE) (56%) with a median follow-up of 11.3 years (3.2–26.2 years). Overall, 33 of 36 (92%) boys void per urethra. Within the group that voids, 19/33 (58%) are completely dry, while 6/33 (18%) are wet. Among patients who underwent initial epispadias repair without concurrent or subsequent bladder neck reconstruction, continence rates were: GE 63% (5/8); PE 75% (6/8); PPE 71% (5/7). Among the 9 boys with PPE who underwent initial epispadias repair with concurrent BNR, 22% (2/9) were dry with no further surgeries. Overall, 8/20 (40%) of boys with PPE void with complete dryness. Discussion This multi-center retrospective review of continence in epispadias demonstrates that even some boys with glanular and penile epispadias can have challenges with continence, and boys with penopubic epispadias may remain wet despite careful preoperative assessment of bladder neck functionality and concurrent BNR. Conclusion Continence outcomes in boys with all degrees of epispadias can be variable. Even boys with more distal defects may have significant bladder neck deficiency. And those with the most severe form of epispadias may require bladder neck reconstruction to achieve continence.