Prepubic urethrectomy with urethral stripping

Purpose: Prepubic urethrectomy is a simple, safe alternative to perineal ur ethrectomy. The lithotomy position can be avoided and, thus, operative time and risk of deep venous thrombosis are decreased. We developed a simple mo dification because of difficulty in dissecting the bulbous urethra. Materials and Methods: From 1996 through 1998 prepubic urethrectomy was per formed using a modified procedure in 21 patients with invasive bladder carc inoma undergoing radical cystectomy and supravesical diversion. After periu rethral mobilization the urethra was cannulated with an 18F catheter, sutur ed distal and stripped free. Results: Operative time decreased to 20 to 30 minutes with no significant p ostoperative complications. Conclusions: Our modification of prepubic urethrectomy is safe, fast and ea sy.