Hypospadias
Related Subjects:
|Hypospadias
|Phimosis
โ ๏ธ Important: Babies with hypospadias should not be circumcised - the foreskin is often required during corrective surgery. ๐ถ
๐ About
- Hypospadias = congenital condition where the urethral meatus opens on the ventral (underside) surface of the penis rather than the tip.
- Occurs in ~1 in 400 male births.
๐งช Aetiology
- Congenital failure of urethral folds to fuse normally during embryogenesis.
- โ incidence in families and premature infants.
- Rarely associated with genetic syndromes or disorders of sex development (esp. proximal hypospadias).
๐ Clinical Presentation
- Penile hooding: dorsal foreskin present, ventral deficiency.
- Chordee: abnormal ventral curvature, worse on erection.
- Urethral opening on underside (glanular, midshaft, or proximal).
- Occasional incomplete scrotal fusion.
๐ Classification
- Distal (glanular/subcoronal) โ most common.
- Midshaft โ less common.
- Proximal (penoscrotal/perineal) โ rare, often more complex, may require endocrine/genetic evaluation.
๐งช Investigations
- Diagnosis is clinical on newborn exam.
- Further work-up (renal USS, karyotype, endocrine referral) may be considered in proximal hypospadias or if other anomalies are present.
๐ง Management
- Urology referral: All suspected cases should be referred to a paediatric urologist.
- Corrective surgery: Usually between 6 months โ 2 years (before school age). Aims to:
- Straighten the penis (correct chordee).
- Reconstruct a terminal urethral opening.
- Achieve normal cosmetic appearance.
- Multiple operations may be needed for proximal/severe forms.
๐ Teaching Pearl
- Hypospadias + undescended testes โ consider DSD โ urgent specialist referral.
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