A systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing buccal mucosal graft harvest site non-closure versus closure in patients undergoing urethral reconstruction

Purpose: To assess the effects of buccal mucosal graft site non-closure versus closure on postoperative oral morbidity for male undergoing augmentation urethroplasty for urethral stricture. Materials and Methods: We included randomized controlled trials. Inclusion criteria were male over the age of 18 with urethral stricture disease requiring reconstruction with buccal mucosal graft harvest. Primary outcomes of the review were postoperative oral pain, need for secondary oral procedures and cosmetic defects. Results: We included 5 studies with 346 randomized patients with urethral strictures, of whom 260 completed the trials. In terms of primary outcomes, non-closure graft site may reduce oral pain on postoperative day #1 (standard mean difference [SMD] 0.24 lower; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61 lower to 0.12 higher; low certainty evidence [CoE]) but we are uncertain how this impacts pain on postoperative days 3 to 6 (SMD 0.35; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.81 higher; very low CoE). We are also very uncertain as to how it affects the need for secondary oral procedures (risk ratio [RR] 0.22; 95% CI 0.01 to 4.28; very low CoE). Non-closure may increase the risk of cosmetic defects (RR 2.40; 95% CI 0.93 to 6.22; low CoE). Conclusions: This review describes the trade-off for buccal mucosal graft site non-closure versus closure for various patientimportant outcomes; decision-making will likely hinge on the relative value individual patients and surgeons place on them. The supporting evidence was rated as low and very low, thereby signaling substantial underlying uncertainty and the need for better trials.