Buried penis in adults as a complication of circumcision: Surgical management and long-term outcomes.

Abstract

We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and long-term functional outcomes of surgical correction of adult buried penis patients due to complications of childhood circumcision. A retrospective analysis was performed for patients who underwent treatment for buried penis between 1997 and 2019. An autologous split-thickness skin graft (STSG) was used. Surgical management steps included circumcision, resection of the bands between the corpora and other tissues, harvesting of STSG from femoral region and graft application. Surgical and functional outcomes were the primary end points. Thirteen patients were included with a mean age of 22.4years and median body mass index 27. Patients had similar symptoms, including sexual dysfunction, inadequate penile length, impossible penetration and decreased quality of life. No early post-operative complication was seen. During a median of 44-month follow-up, post-operative long-term complications were seen in 4 (30%) patients: decreased graft sensation (n=2); graft contracture five months after surgery (n=1); and retarded ejaculation (n=1). Patients' post-operative three-month International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) score and sexual satisfaction score (SSS) significantly increased compared with patients' pre-operative scores (IIEF; 22.8 vs. 14.1, p=.03, SSS; 8.7 vs. 3.2, p<.01). Buried penis is a rare but challenging condition. Patients had excellent graft acceptance with successful functional outcomes.