What is the role of single-stage oral mucosa graft urethroplasty in the surgical management of lichen sclerosus-related stricture disease in men? A systematic review

Purpose The benefits and harms of the available types of surgical management for lichen sclerosus-related (LS) strictures remain unclear and, thus, clear and robust clinical practice recommendations cannot be given. Materials and methods To assess the role of single-stage OMGU in the management of LS strictures and explore how its benefits and harms compare with the alternative management options. Medline, Embase and Cochrane controlled trial databases (CENTRAL, CDSR) were systematically searched. Randomized (RCTs) and nonrandomized studies (NRCSs) comparing single-stage OMGU with other surgical management options for LS strictures and single-arm studies on single-stage OMGU were included. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed. Results Of the 1912 abstracts identified, 15 studies (1 NRCS and 14 single-arm studies) were included, recruiting in total 649 patients. All studies were at high RoB. In the only NRCS available, stricture-free rate (SFR) for single-stage and staged OMGU was 88% vs 60%, respectively ( p = 0.05), at a mean follow-up of 66.5 months. SFR range for single-stage OMGU in single-arm studies was 65–100% (mean/median follow-up, 12–59 months). Single-stage OMGU had low complication rates and beneficial impact on LUTS and QoL. Conclusions The present SR highlights the methodological limitations of the available literature. In the absence of adverse local tissue conditions, and taking into consideration benefit–harm balance and surgeon’s skills and expertise, single-stage OMGU can be justified in patients with LS strictures.