Suture tracks after hypospadias repair.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the incidence of suture tracks after hypospadias repair in which 6-0 chromic catgut was used to close the skin.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

From an initial series of 72 boys undergoing tubularized, incised-plate hypospadias repair, 23 (32%) were evaluated 1 year or more after surgery.

RESULTS

Of the 23 boys, 10 (43%) were found to have suture tracks. In all cases tracks were located on the ventral shaft skin and did not involve the glans or dorsal aspect of the circumcision. These tracks had not been detected at an earlier follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Tracks resulting from small absorbable sutures may not be apparent soon after surgery because the sinus is small. With time, the sinuses fill with keratin and thereby become obvious. The location of these tracks suggests that relative hypovascularity of ventral shaft skin may contribute to their development. The use of subcutaneous sutures may diminish the incidence of this minor complication of hypospadias surgery.