The findings from our study reveal potential problems for conducting future urethroplasty outcomes studies that attempt to use rigorous follow-up protocols. We do not believe that our poor follow-up represents network or institutional problems but rather a disease-specific problem. In other words, it seems as if many of our patients, presumably lacking bothersome urinary symptoms, felt it was unnecessary to return for their follow-up appointments. Whether their noncompliance was because of costs, inconvenience, or fear of the cystoscopy itself is largely unknown—regardless, the poor follow-up seriously calls into question the ability for invasive testing to remain the gold standard for assessing, and comparing surgical outcomes in academic studies.
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