UCL Discovery

Abstract

Purpose: We assess the medium and long-term morbidity of buccal mucosal graft (BMG) harvest for urethroplasty, and evaluate the effect of nonclosure of the graft harvest site on postoperative pain.Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was mailed to 110 men who underwent BMG urethroplasty between January 1, 1997 and August 31, 2002. Demographic data and side effects of BMG harvest, including oral pain, sensation and intake, were assessed postoperatively. A prospective study was then performed to compare 20 unselected men whose BMG donor site was closed with a group of 20 men in whom it was left open using a 5-point analog pain score that was completed twice daily for the first 5 postoperative days.Results: A total of 49 men with a median age of 49 years (range 23 to 73) returned questionnaires relating to 57 BMG harvests. Of the graft harvests 47 (83%) were associated with postoperative pain, which was worse than expected in 24 (51%). Of the 57 patients 51 (90%) resumed oral liquid intake within 24 hours and 44 (77%) resumed normal diet within 1 week. Postoperative side effects included perioral numbness in 39 (68%) patients with 15 (26%) having residual numbness after 6 months, initial difficulty with mouth opening in 38 (67%) with 5 (9%) having persistent problems, changes in salivation in 6 (11%) and mucous retention cyst that required excision in 1 (2%). The men in the prospective donor site study had a median age of 51 years (range 24 to 70). Mean pain score for patients with donor site closure was 3.68 and was significantly higher than that for patients without donor site closure (2.26, p < 0.01).Conclusions: Buccal mucosal graft harvest is not a pain-free procedure. Closure of the harvest donor site appears to worsen this pain and it may be best to leave harvest sites open. The main long-term complications are perioral numbness, persistent difficulty with mouth opening and change in salivary function.