When children are born with hypospadias, they require surgery to correct the position of the urethral opening. Surgeons and parents often worry about potential complications following these procedures, such as a urethrocutaneous fistula (an abnormal connection between the urethra and the skin).
A large review of 715 pediatric patients looked at how hormone therapies might affect these outcomes. The findings showed that androgen therapy significantly reduced the odds of developing a urethrocutaneous fistula after surgery. While there was a similar trend for children with distal hypospadias, it did not reach statistical significance in that specific group.
However, the study found no significant benefit from androgens for other issues like glans dehiscence or meatal stenosis. Additionally, estrogen therapy did not show any reduction in complications. Because the data comes from a network meta-analysis of various studies, researchers note that more standardized protocols and longer follow-up periods are needed to confirm these results.
