THE IMPACT OF CAUDAL BLOCK ANESTHESIA ON POSTOPERATIVE COMPLICATIONS IN DISTAL HYPOSPADIAS SURGERY: A MULTI-CENTER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

Abstract

Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess the effect of caudal block anaesthesia on the outcomes of distal hypospadias surgery. Methods: The patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 (n=) received caudal block anesthesia Group 2 (n=) received no caudal block. The postoperative complications were compared. All patients underwent repair with the TIPU technique. Results: Group 1, consisting of 101 patients, and Group 2, with 78 patients, were evaluated for the prevalence of complications. The findings revealed that meatal stenosis occurred in 6.9% of Group 1 and 7.7% of Group 2, urethrocutaneous fistula in 6.9% of Group 1 compared to 5.1% in Group 2, glans dehiscence in 2% of Group 1 and 3.8% of Group 2, and urethral stenosis was observed in 2% of patients in both groups. Notably, there were no instances of urethral diverticula in either group. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in the rates of meatal stenosis (p=0.846), urethrocutaneous fistula (p=0.619), glans dehiscence (p=0.453), and urethral stenosis (p=0.793) between the two groups. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that caudal block anesthesia does not significantly increase the postoperative complications in distal hypospadias surgery, with similar complication rates observed in both study groups.