A ventral rotational skin flap to improve cosmesis and avoid chordee recurrence in epispadias repair.

OBJECTIVE To describe a technical modification that facilitates dorsal skin closure, improves cosmesis and eliminates chordee recurrence secondary to contracture of the dorsal penile skin in the repair of epispadias. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eleven patients with penopubic epispadias (mean age 1.8 years) had the epispadias repaired using a modified ventral penile skin flap. Four patients had isolated epispadias and seven had had a previous primary closure of bladder exstrophy. Nine patients underwent the Cantwell-Ransley technique, leaving the meatus in a glanular position. Two patients were repaired using the penile disassembly technique of Mitchell and Bägli, because they had a short urethral plate. A ventral island skin flap was fashioned, starting at the base of the penis. Dissection was carried ventrally into the scrotum to allow for adequate dorsal flap transposition. The flap was rotated laterally to shift the suture line from the midline and to cover the dorsal aspect of the penis with untouched penile shaft skin. Redundant ventral foreskin was discarded. RESULTS All patients had an uneventful course after surgery. Dorsal penile skin was viable in every case and no patient developed recurrence of chordee or a urethrocutaneous fistula. The cosmetic result was excellent in all patients. CONCLUSIONS Dorsal skin closure using lateral rotation of ventral penile skin flap improves cosmesis after epispadias repair and eliminates the recurrence of chordee secondary to midline dorsal scarring.