Summary
Female urethral injury is an uncommon issue, though frequently requiring complex surgical reconstruction. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of female urethral injuries requires an adequate understanding of female urethra anatomy and function, causes of female urethra injury, diagnostic evaluation of the female urethra, and proper surgical treatments of female urethral injuries. Most injuries are due to iatrogenic causes, childbirth, or pelvic fracture. Injuries that result in urethral loss can be corrected with urethroplasty utilizing vaginal tissue advancement or advancement of a flap of bladder tissue. Placement of a sling for coexisting incontinence can be performed simultaneously with autologous fascia; sling placement in patients without stress incontinence, though frequently practiced, is controversial. Depending on the location, urethral strictures can be treated with meatotomy, endoscopic incision, or graft urethroplasty. For the most severe cases, urine can be diverted suprapubically, with the bladder closed transvaginally with a tight obstructing autologous sling or via surgical closure of the bladder neck. Surgical repair of female urethral injuries is usually a successful procedure with durable outcomes.
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© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science + Business Media, LLC
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Anast, J., Brandes, S.B., Klutke, C. (2008). Female Urethral Reconstruction. In: Brandes, S.B. (eds) Urethral Reconstructive Surgery. Current Clinical Urology. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-103-1_27
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-103-1_27
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