Does closure of the buccal mucosal graft bed matter? Results from a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To study the effects of closure vs nonclosure of buccal mucosal graft harvest site.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Patients were randomized to either primary closure or nonclosure of buccal mucosal harvest site during urethroplasty. Graft widths were standardized to 2 cm. Prospective data were collected via patient visual analog scales (0-10) of 5 domains examining pain, numbness, tightness, drinking, and eating at postoperative day 1 and 3 and then at 3 weeks and 3 months until 1 year.

RESULTS

There were 34 patients who underwent randomization and completed the study. The preoperative demographics between both groups were comparable with no significant differences. The median age is 44 years. There were 16 patients in the closure group and 18 patients in the nonclosure group. The results show an improvement in the domains of pain (P = .08), drinking (P = .06), and eating (P = .03) in favor of the closure group at postoperative day 1 and 3. There are no significant differences in all 5 domains between both groups after 3 weeks postoperatively

CONCLUSION

This study shows that primary closure of buccal mucosal graft bed improves pain as well as oral intake in the immediate postoperative period. There are no long-term differences.