Harold Hopkins Department of Urology, Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading, UK.
To describe a novel method of split-skin graft (SSG) fixation for neo-glans formation after distal penectomy for penile cancer and glans resurfacing for carcinoma in situ or lichen sclerosus (LS); the TODGA technique. Rather than 'quilting' the graft onto the neo-glans, which requires up to 5 days bed rest, the tie-over method fixes the graft adequately enough to allow immediate patient mobilization.
In all, 41 consecutive operations, with a follow-up of ≥ 12 months, were performed on 40 patients (mean age 62 years, range 32-83) from December 2000 to October 2008, where a SSG was applied to the raw glans or penile stump. The protocol varied for the first 12 operations on 11 patients. The tie-over dressing was left in place for 6 (one patient) or 7 days (11) and various materials were used; paraffin gauze (one), expanded foam (five) and proflavine-soaked gauze (six). The first two patients had their dressing removed under general anaesthetic but all subsequent patients had their dressing removed on the ward. The subsequent 29 operations used the same protocol where a proflavine-soaked gauze dressing was left undisturbed for 10 days.
In the original 11 patients, two required re-grafting. After this initial development period, we amended the technique to use stronger sutures and left the dressing undisturbed for 10 days. In addition, we standardized the use of proflavin-soaked gauze, as we found it easy to apply and remove. Since we adopted this protocol, we have performed 29 operations over a 3-year period. The cosmetic results were excellent with only one patient requiring re-grafting. The mean and median postoperative length of stay was 2 days. One patient with a urethral squamous cell carcinoma associated with urethral and glans LS required a urethral dilatation to allow a check cystoscopy, and a further asymptomatic patient had a meatal dilatation in the clinic but meatal stenosis was otherwise not seen, with no patients requiring regular meatal dilatation.
The TODGA technique of SSG application and fixation allows immediate mobilization and reduces hospital stay whilst providing excellent cosmetic results with a high percentage of graft uptake.
Written by:
Malone PR, Thomas JS, Blick C. Are you the author?
Reference: BJU Int. 2011 Mar;107(5):836-40.
doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2010.09576.x
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 20840546
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