Introduction: Ambulatory buccal mucosal graft (BMG) urethroplasty has been gaining popularity over the last two decades. We aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of BMG ambulatory urethroplasty in the geriatric population compared to inpatient urethroplasty.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent BMG urethroplasty at the age of 65 or above in our institution between August 2019 and July 2021. Demographics, patient characteristics, postoperative course, and complications were recorded.

Results: Over two years, a total of 73 BMG urethroplasties were performed by a single surgeon. Of these, 31 patients (42.4%) were found to be above the age of 65. Fifteen patients (48.3%) had undergone BMG urethroplasty as inpatients, while 16 patients (51.6%) had undergone BMG urethroplasty as an ambulatory procedure. The median age was 69 (65–84) years in the outpatient group compared to 72 (65–78) years in the inpatient group. There were no significant
differences in the comorbidities, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, stricture length, operative time, urethroplasty type, or global response assessment between both groups. The length of stay was significantly shorter in the outpatient group, with a median of four hours compared to 24 hours for the inpatient group. One patient in each group had to be seen in the emergency room a few days after discharge for suspicion of wound infection treated with oral antibiotics as outpatients (Table 1).

Conclusions: Outpatient BMG urethroplasty in the elderly is feasible, with no added morbidity to the patients. Patient age, comorbidities, stricture length, stricture location, and operative type did not seem to play a factor requiring readmission. Larger studies are needed.