Facts About Hypospadias Surgery

Hypospadias is a surgical procedure performed to correct a defect of the penis after birth. The defect is caused by an underdeveloped urethra placed elsewhere in the penis rather than its correct place, which is the tip of the penis. The urethra is the tube that carries urine and semen of the male sex out of the body.

The defect can be minor in an underside opening, while major cases include the opening located in the middle or behind the male organ’s scrotum.

Now that we’re clear about why the repair is done. Let’s get on with the facts.

What You Need to Know About Hypospadias Repair Procedure

What may be a simple procedure can also sound rather scary if you hear it the first time. Hypospadias surgery repair is performed to reposition the opening of the babies’ penis after birth. Hypospadias cases should be performed at the earliest to avoid further defects in the growth of the penis before puberty.

Here are some of the things you need to know about hypospadias surgery repair and its procedure:

• Babies born with hypospadias defect should get the surgery done while the baby is below two years of age.
• The number of surgeries required depends on the extent of the defect. Major defects like the ones mentioned may take up to three surgeries to correct the positioning of the opening of the penis. In most cases, the penis takes its normal shape.
• General anesthesia is given to the baby before the surgery. This ensures a relaxed body with no reflexes for the surgery to be performed. The child will feel no pain during the entire procedure.
• The surgeon uses skin from the babies’ body by performing a skin graft. The skin is needed to increase the length of the urethra that’s missing from the opening of the penis.
• The surgeon then places or sews a tube in the urethra for the new shape to hold its place.
• After the surgery, the baby won’t feel any pain from the relief of the anesthesia.
• The surgery is complete after a maximum of two weeks, at which the tube will be removed.

What’s best about the surgery is it leaves little to no scar on the penis for minor cases. While stitches will be dissolved during the healing process on their own without manual removal.

There might be slight discomfort for the first few weeks but no pain in the new opening of the penis. However, it is crucial to note and tell your doctor right away in case of any other problem.

Conclusion

While most hypospadias surgery repair is done between ages six to twelve months, it can also be performed successfully in children and adults. 

The repair, which is done at any age, lasts a lifetime and should not cause any problem during puberty or doing growth of the penis to its full extent.

While fixing a genital defect may sound scary, hypospadias surgery is known to be massively successful in all boys.