Abstract
Introduction Approximately one in 2000 children globally is born with an intersex condition. There is unfortunately a relative paucity of data on the choices and the surgical and psychosocial outcomes in patients who undergo genital surgery for intersex conditions and ambiguous genitalia, especially in developing countries. Specialists in these and other countries, where patient follow-up is generally poor, are faced with the daunting task of offering the appropriate medical and surgical management, in the absence of guidelines or recommendations. Surgical considerations A surgical procedure in these patients sometimes involves clitoral recession, reduction, vaginoplasty, and gonadectomy. The best surgical outcome is likely to be achieved with a multidisciplinary surgical team; however, the choice of surgery and appropriate timing remains controversial. Some authors have suggested delaying surgery until the child becomes competent to make his/her own decisions. Legal/Ethical Considerations All procedures should conform to an ethical code of practice and be in the interest of the child. Exhaustive counseling of all parties and informed consent is of paramount importance, as is adherence to laws that protect the rights of the child as outlined in respective constitutions. Recommendations Recommendations in this article, which have been put together from the combined input of three departments, are broad-based. They emphasize the need for extensive counseling, informed consent, adherence to ethical and legal norms, a multidisciplinary input and a shift away from a paternalistic approach.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.