AUA MPH Alumni Arman Tsaturyan and Kristina Akopyan Publish an Article in the Central European Journal of Urology

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American University of Armenia (AUA) Master of Public Health (MPH) 2013 Alumni Arman Tsaturyan and Kristina Akopyan published an article on the experience of application of a rare surgical technique by replacement of long ureteric strictures using buccal mucosa graft in Armenia. The article was published in the internationally ranked peer-reviewed open-access journal Central European Journal of Urology (CEJU). Dr. Kristina Akopyan is a Research Associate in the Center for Health Services Research and Development at the AUA School of Public Health.

The application of replacement of long ureteric strictures using the buccal mucosa graft surgical technique has only been described in a few published articles. However, it could be considered as a treatment option for patients for whom complex surgical options such as bowel interposition or kidney auto-transplantation are contraindicated or may result in post-operative complications. The study and surgical team shared the results of six patients who underwent ureteral reconstructive surgery using buccal mucosa graft technique. The study patients did not develop any major post-operative complications (Clavien grade I and II), and all of them demonstrated satisfactory outcomes during the follow-up period. The study findings support the idea of a future larger-scale research for the evaluation of the effectiveness and appropriateness of this technique among patients with long ureteric strictures as a routine treatment option.

The full article Long Ureteric Stricture Replacement by Buccal Mucosa Graft: An Armenian Experience Case Series Report. Cent Eur J Urol (CEJU). doi:10.5173/ceju.2016.757 by Arman Tsaturyan, Kristina Akopyan, Arthur Levonyan, Ashot Tsaturyan is available here.

The AUA School of Public Health works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.