Lucknow, A 30-year-old man has been treated for urethral stricture using lab-grown cells in what a Lucknow hospital has claimed is the "first such procedure" in Uttar Pradesh.
The patient, a Lucknow resident, had a three-centimetre-long bulbar urethral stricture, a narrowing of the urinary passage.
Doctors on Monday claimed the cell-based technique could offer a minimally invasive alternative to conventional procedures for selected patients.
Traditionally, such patients may undergo buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty, in which tissue is taken from inside the cheek, or endoscopic urethrotomy, which carries a risk of recurrence and may require long-term self-catheterisation in some cases, they said.
In the new procedure, doctors said they removed a tiny tissue sample measuring 10 mm by 5 mm from the patient's cheek and sent it to a specialised laboratory in Pune.
Over two weeks, the sample was expanded into nearly 50 lakh living cells. Since the cells remain viable for only about 72 hours, they were transported to Lucknow under a maintained cold chain, the hospital added.
The cells were then mixed with liquid thrombin and delivered endoscopically to the treated area after an incision was made over the stricture, allowing the cells to attach to the wound and promote tissue healing while potentially reducing recurrent scar formation.
{{/usCountry}}The cells were then mixed with liquid thrombin and delivered endoscopically to the treated area after an incision was made over the stricture, allowing the cells to attach to the wound and promote tissue healing while potentially reducing recurrent scar formation.
{{/usCountry}}Dr Mayank Mohan Agrawal, Director and Head of Urology and Kidney Transplant, Apollomedics Hospital, Lucknow, said, "The entire surgical process was completed in just 15-20 minutes. We do not make any big cut in the mouth, nor is there any cut made on the lower part of the body below the scrotum, unlike what we do in BMGU."
"With this new technique, the tube will be removed after just one week," he said.
Dr Ved Bhaskar, Associate Director, Urology, said the procedure's claimed success rate was 70-80 per cent, comparable to open surgery.
He said it could particularly benefit elderly patients and those with multiple health conditions by avoiding large incisions and reducing recovery time.
The patient was discharged the following day, according to the hospital.
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