Meatal Occlusive Disease in Adult Males: Are There Any Clinical Variations?

Abstract

Objective: The study aimed to document the types of meatal occlusive disease (MOD) in adult males in terms of its clinical presentation, management and prognosis. Material and Methods: Eighty-six adult males with MOD were assessed during the study period. The patients were divided into Group 1, having meatal opening that was occluded by flimsy adhesions (meatal synechia/adhesive type MOD), and Group 2 that included patients who had circumferential constriction of the meatus (meatal stenosis/constrictive type MOD). All patients underwent meatal dilatation up to 18 Fr followed by self-dilatation for 3 months with topical clobetasol for 4 weeks. Degree of discomfort during self-dilation, improvement in flow rate, International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS score) and recurrences were recorded at pre-determined intervals. Results: Twenty-eight patients had meatal synechia (Group 1) and 48 had meatal stenosis (Group 2). Discomfort during self-dilatation in Group 1 patients was significantly less; there was improvement in IPSS and peak flow rate (mean follow-up 26.8 months) as compared to Group 2. With dilation alone, no recurrence was noted in Group 1; however, Group 2 showed 62.8% recurrence indicating poor outcome in this subset of patients. Conclusion: MOD in adult males consists of 2 separate clinical entities with different therapeutic outcomes.