Penile length nomogram for Asian Indian prepubertal boys

Abstract

BackgroundPenile length-for-age nomograms in prepubertal boys may aid in early recognition of endocrine and genetic disorders associated with abnormal phallic size. There are scarce data on the penile length measurements in children beyond the neonatal period and there is a lack of such a nomogram for Asian Indians. Materials and methodsOf the boys who were admitted in our ward or seen in the outpatient setting for genitalia-unrelated surgical problems, 20 consecutive boys were included in each of the following ten age slots (total of 200 subjects): 0–1, 1–2, 2–3, 3–4, 4–5, 5–6, 6–7, 7–8, 8–9, and 9–10 years. Their stretched penile length (SPL) measurements were used to establish the normal range (mean ± 2 SD) of penile length-for-age in prepubertal Indian boys. Mean ± 2.5 SD was also calculated to define the cut-offs for micropenis and macropenis, respectively, in each age group. ResultsA rapid increase is seen in penile length up to 4 years of age. A much slower increase is implied thereafter. ConclusionThis study provides reference values of penile lengths for Asian Indian boys aged 0–10 years.