Introduction. Deciding on the optimal surgical method for treating complex spongy urethral strictures is a challenging clinical task.
Purpose of the study. To determine the clinical differences between patients undergoing multistage urethroplasty and permanent urethrostomy.
Materials and methods. Two groups of patients were formed for the analysis: group I – 73 patients who underwent multistage urethroplasty; group II – 48 patients underwent permanent urethrostomy. The differences between groups were studied according to the following clinical parameters: age, body mass index, duration of the disease, previous treatment, etiology, length and localization of strictures, complications of stricture disease, concomitant diseases, urine flow parameters, the presence of early postoperative complications, and recurrence of strictures.
Results. Patients of group I compared to group II are significantly younger (43.0 vs 59.6 years; p<0.0001). They have fewer idiopathic strictures (8.2 vs 31.3%; p=0.001), undergo cystostomy less often (26.0 vs 54.2%; p=0.002), have less pronounced lower urinary tract symptoms (I-PSS – 18.6 vs 23.8 points; p<0.0001, QoL ― 4.3 vs 5, 1 point; p<0.0001) and impaired urination parameters (Qmax – 8.1 vs 6.5 ml/s; p=0.09, Qave – 5.5 vs 4.1 ml/s; p=0.015, PVR - 62.4 vs 126.0 ml; p=0.03). The incidence of concomitant diseases (69.9 vs 87.5%; p<0.025) and their number (1.8 vs 3.1; p<0.002) are significantly higher in group II. Among the comorbidities, cardiovascular diseases (31.5 vs 58.3%; p=0.015), diabetes mellitus (5.5 vs 16.7%; p=0.045) and prostatic hyperplasia (8.2 vs 27.1%; p=0.005) predominate. Early surgical complications in group I were detected in 28,8% of patients, in group II – in 2.1% (p<0,0001) of cases. The primary treatment success among patients with permanent urethrostomy is higher than with multistage urethroplasty (85.4 vs 65,8%; p=0,017).
Conclusions. It is advisable to perform multistage surgery of extended spongy urethral strictures in young and middle-aged men without serious comorbidities in cases of conscious choice and sufficient awareness. Urethrostomy should initially be discussed with the patient as the operation of choice, considering age, cardiovascular comorbidity, diabetes mellitus and prostatic hyperplasia.

Keywords: multistage urethroplasty, urethrostomy, surgical complications, urethral stricture, clinical features