Abstract

Objective: We investigated the effect of using a tourniquet during operation on the success of hypospadias surgery.

Materials and methods: The study include 59 patients between 1 and 9 years old who were referred to our clinic with distal hypospadias. The patients were randomized into two groups. Patients in Group 1 (n=32) underwent distal hypospadias repair with the Snodgrass technique and a tourniquet was used to control bleeding. The tourniquet was loosened every 20 min to allow penile blood flow. No tourniquet was used during the operation to control bleeding for patients in Group 2 (n=27). 

Results: The mean age of the patients was 5.5±2.6 years. Both groups were similar in terms of age, presence of cordi, and circumcision status. Postoperatively, 3 patients developed a fistula in each group, and 2 patients in Group 1 and 1 patient in Group 2 developed meatal stenosis. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of fistula and meatal stenosis development. 

Conclusion: Tourniquet application facilitated distal hypospadias surgery by decreasing the perioperative bleeding and had no effect on the surgery outcome. Perioperative tourniquet application in distal hypospadias surgery does not increase the morbidity and can be used safely.