The ‘learning curve’ in hypospadias surgery

For urologists who do not perform hypospadias surgery, the number of techniques which has been described may seem astonishing, but each one seems to have added something new to the art of penile and urethral reconstruction in these children. The authors from the USA describe the learning curve in this complicated technique. Authors from the UK present a large series of Y‐type urethral duplication in the male and describe the surgical procedures required to correct this rare congenital anomaly. OBJECTIVE To provide an insight into the ‘learning curve’ of fellowship‐trained paediatric urologists associated with hypospadias repair, as hypospadias surgery is one of the most common yet difficult procedures used by the paediatric urologist. PATIENTS AND METHODS Prospective data were collected on 231 consecutive hypospadias operations performed by one paediatric urologist (M.H.) over a 5‐year period, beginning with his first year after completing his fellowship. All patients were having their first surgery and none had a staged repair. Fistula formation was used as a surrogate for the complication rate, as it is an objective measurable outcome that is easily identified with little interobserver or parental/physician variability. The follow‐up included several visits in the 15 months after repair, during which virtually all complications could be identified and addressed. RESULTS The operative results improved throughout the 5 years of observation; there was a statistically significant decline in the fistula rate in each year of observation (P