Transitional Urology in Korea: Initial Insights Through a Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: International neurourology journal 2024-06, Vol.28 (2), p.162-167
• Main Authors: Oh, Kyung Tak, Lim, Avelyn Noble, Ibrahim, Alwadai Raed, Kim, Jang Hwan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: congenital disease; hypospadias; Original; spina bifida; transitional care
• ISSN: 2093-4777; 2093-6931; 2093-6931
• DOI: 10.5213/inj.2448186.093

In Korea, the field of transitional urology (TU) is in its nascent stages, with its introduction only beginning. This study aims to evaluate the existing state of TU prior to implementing a transition protocol, and to identify key areas of focus for the development of an effective transition protocol. From June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2023, clinical data were retrospectively collected for patients who visited the adult urology or pediatric urology outpatient departments of this hospital and were aged 10 or older, with medical conditions falling under the category of TU. We analyzed the patient distribution across different disease groups. The transitional stages were categorized from T1, indicating initial care by pediatric urologists, to T4, denoting complete transition to adult care. 'T4x' was used for patients with unknown medical histories, and 'T4only' for those who had never been under pediatric urology care. During a 2-year period, a total of 1,484 patients received outpatient care for diseases in TU field. The most prevalent diseases were hypospadias (40.4%), spinal bifida (37.3%), and congenital ureteral anomalies (17.7%), with other conditions accounting for 4.6%. Among 553 spinal bifida patients, only 5.3% completed transitional care (T4), while 80.1% were in the initial phase (T1). For patients introduced to adult urology (T2-T4), 37.7% reached T4, highlighting a marked increase in transition completion within this subset (P