Transgender Surgery: Female to Male

Abstract

Gender-confirming surgery is a life-altering and medically necessary set of procedures for some people suffering from gender dysphoria. For transgender men, there are a variety of surgical interventions available for masculinization, including facial, chest, trunk, and genital surgeries. Facial and truncal masculinizations are rarely sought. Chest masculinization is the most common procedure in transgender men and consists of bilateral mastectomy through various approaches dependent on the breast size and laxity with minimal complications. Metoidioplasty and phalloplasty are the most common genital procedures (the radial forearm free flap phalloplasty being the most common) but have significant complication profiles. Up to 40% of those undergoing genital masculinization suffer from urethral fistula or stricture. Current advances consist of neurotization of the phallus and implant placement. Future studies on patient-reported outcomes and long-term follow-up are needed. This review contains 16 figures, 3 tables, and 62 references. Key Words: chest masculinization, gender affirmation, metoidioplasty, penile implant, phalloplasty, radial forearm free flap, scrotoplasty, transgender, urethral fistula, vaginectomy