Usefulness of a high-speed surgical air drill in pubectomy during delayed anastomotic urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral injury.

Abstract

Pubectomy is an ancillary technique used to increase exposure of the disrupted urethra and reduce anastomotic tension, which can be difficult for inexperienced surgeons. The objective of the present study was to illustrate the use of an air drill enabling delicate and precise bone resection in pubectomy for delayed anastomotic urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral injury. Between 2009 and 2019, 88 male patients underwent delayed anastomotic urethroplasty with pubectomy for pelvic fracture urethral injury. A total of 73 procedures used a high-speed surgical air drill (HiLAN HS; Aesculap, Tuttlingen, Germany) equipped with a short-hand piece. Operative time and blood loss in the air drill patient group (group1) were compared with that of patients who underwent pubectomy using a rongeur and/or gouge (group2, n=15). In 65 group1 patients, urethroplasty was carried out using the perineal approach, with partial inferior pubectomy. Eight group1 patients, whose proximal urethral end was displaced upward superior to the upper edge of pubis, underwent urethroplasty using the perineal and abdominal approach, with a superior partial pubectomy and supracrural urethral rerouting. No difficulty was encountered using the air drill in any of the cases. There was no significant difference in median operative time between the groups (group1 256min vs group2 228min; P=0.31). The median blood loss in group1 was significantly lower than group2 (149mL vs 453mL; P<0.0001). Surgical air drills might facilitate pubectomy in patients undergoing delayed anastomotic urethroplasty for pelvic fracture urethral injury. This tool offers the advantage of a delicate bone resection with reduced blood loss.