About Hypospadias Archives - Page 2 of 6

April 04 2024

Hypospadias and small penis size: diagnosis and treatment

Hypospadias is a congenital malformation affecting about 1 in 250 male births, this amounts to more than 50,000 children born in India every year with hypospadias.in this condition, the urethral opening lies on the underside of the penis instead of its tip. While severity varies, hypospadias is sometimes associated with small penile size. Let’s delve into the facts about hypospadias, its effect on size and treatment options.

Understanding Hypospadias:

During development of penis between 8-12 weeks of pregnancy, the urethra (urinary pipe) starts forming from the base of the scrotum to penis, finally proceeding forwards towards the tip. Hypospadias occurs when the tissue forming the urethra doesn’t fully close during fetal development. This results in the urethral opening appearing anywhere on the underside of the penis, from the glans (mildest form) to the scrotum (severest form).

Hypospadias and Penile Size:

The relationship between isolated hypospadias and penile size is complex. Studies show the following:

No significant difference in length: Research suggests that overall penile length in infants and prepubescent boys with isolated distal or minor hypospadias is comparable to unaffected boys in most boys. While the penis may be small in proximal or severe hypospadias.
Chordee causes the penis to look small: Hypospadias can cause the penis to curve downwards, a condition called chordee.This can make the penis appear shorter.
Surgical considerations: Reconstructive surgery for hypospadias aims to correct the urethral opening’s position and straighten the penis. While some techniques may involve using tissue flaps, these typically don’t significantly impact penile length.

Some people with hypospadias may have an actual short penis size. For this to be understood, lets first understand how hormones work to lead to penis growth:

Penis formation is complete by 12 weeks of pregnancy. During the rest of the pregnancy, under the influence of hCG hormone, which is released from placenta of the mother, the testes of developing baby produce a hormone called testosterone. Testosterone is the main male hormone, which is responsible for male pattern of facial hair growth, beard formation, muscle development, thickening of voice etc. which are male external features at puberty. However, testosterone is the not main hormone responsible for penis growth. Testosterone gets converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which is much stronger variant of testosterone and is the main hormone responsible for penis size increase. Collectively, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone are called androgen hormones. Both testosterone and dihydrotestosterone act via androgen hormone receptors. For a moment think of a lock and key mechanism. Hormones are the keys which go and bind to receptors which are the locks. Working together, the lock and key, lead to penis development. So, inadequate androgen action either due to

Less production of testosterone
Testosterone not getting converted to dihydrotestosterone.
or receptors are not working,

Then the penis size will remain small.

Hormonal Reasons which may cause short penis length in hypospadias:

Hormonal disorders: Some children with hypospadias may have hormonal issues like testosterone production defect, androgen insensitivity or 5 alpha reductase deficiency. Whenever we find penis size to be very small along with hypospadias, we typically do a detailed hormonal evaluation to find out the real cause and then treat it.
Low birth weight or premature babies: Our experience shows that babies which are born ahead of their full-term date of birth usually have a smaller penis. This happens as the main penile growth in a baby in pregnancy happens in the last few weeks. If the baby does not receive hCG in the last weeks of pregnancy, then testosterone and DHT is also low, leading to smaller size of penis. Same thing happens in babies who have IUGR or low birth weight, their body produces smaller quantities of hormones for penile growth in the last few weeks of pregnancy.

Addressing small size of penis with hypospadias:

First, penile size should be measured in all children with hypospadias. Two measurements are important – penile length (stretched penile length) and glans diameter. Normally in a 6-month-old child, the SPL should be atleast 35mm and glans diameter should be atleast 14 mm.

If the child was born preterm or was low birth weight, and the glans diameter is atleast 11-12 mm, then as a first choice we give testosterone injections. These injections are given 1 month apart in 2 doses. Typically, it takes 3 months for the penis size to become normal. And then we plan the hypospadias repair surgery. Testosterone injection response also tells us how the penis will respond to natural testosterone at time of puberty and is a good marker to assure the parents and the doctor.

If the penile size is very small in a full-term baby or the baby has severe hypospadias, then we do a full hormonal test battery consisting of LH, FSH, AMH, Testosterone and then give 3 doses of hCG hormone to stimulate the testis. Post hCG stimulation, we test for testosterone and dihydrotestosterone again. There are three possibilities at this stage:

Testosterone does not rise: That means there is testosterone biosynthetic defect. This can be solved by giving external testosterone injections.
Testosterone rises normally but DHT does not rise as evidenced by T/DHT ratio: This is suggestive of 5 alpha reductase enzyme defects. Such children will require DHT gel to help them achieve normal penile size.
Both Testosterone and DHT rise normally: There is a possibility of androgen insensitivity in such cases. We give testosterone injections, but they may not work in all the cases.

All these tests and their interpretation should be done by an experienced pediatric urologist or a hypospadias surgeon or a pediatric endocrinologist.

Summary:

At Hypospadias foundation India, we have been taking care of children and adults with hypospadias for last 15 years with best-in-class results. Children with hypospadias and small penis should be well evaluated whenever needed by a hypospadias expert. This evaluation is important in childhood itself to lay a future healthy path for the child. There is detailed measurement and counselling done before any hypospadias surgery at our centre. Dr A.K.Singal is currently rated as the best hypospadias surgeon expert in India for such cases. Dr Singal works along with Dr Ashwitha Shenoy in MITR Hospital Navi Mumbai to help children and adults get good results for treatment of hypospadias. If you need a second opinion for hypospadias, please do write to us at hypospadiasfoundationindia@gmail.com or fill up this contact form.

References:

American Urological Association: https://www.hypospadias-society.org/
National Institutes of Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564407/
Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hypospadias/symptoms-causes/syc-20355148

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March 03 2024

Single stage hypospadias repair in a boy after multiple failed hypospadias surgeries

“Mast SP, a 15-year-old male from South Africa, is a case of failed hypospadias repair, having undergone four unsuccessful surgeries elsewhere in the past. Despite previous attempts, the desired result of hypospadias repair was not achieved. He presented to us with complaints of spraying of urine with residual chordee. On clinical examination, we found that the meatus was located at the coronal region. The penis was small with flat glans. He was planned for cystoscopy to assess the status of the native urethra, and redo hypospadias surgery was planned in a single stage or in two stages depending on the cystoscopy findings, addressing the challenges of hypospadias repair in a boy

1. Clinical picture showing coronal meatus.

Cystoscopy showed normal urethra. Since the majority of the urethra was normal, we planned for single stage repair, focusing on hypospadias repair in a boy. We chose to proceed with single stage distal oral mucosa inlay graft urethroplasty.

Chordee assessment was done at the start of surgery, and the patient did not have chordee, hence degloving was not done. A midline incision was given in the urethral plate to assess the quality of the urethral plate. There was no scarring in the urethral plate. Since the urethral bed was healthy, we planned to place an oral mucosa inlay graft and perform single stage urethroplasty.

2 a & b. Clinical picture showing the marking of the incision and chordee assessment.

Oral mucosa graft was harvested from the upper lip to perform hypospadias repair in a boy. The graft was defatted and sutured at the urethral bed using 5-0 vicryl. The graft was sutured at the edges of the urethral plate and was quilted in place using 5-0 vicryl sutures. Following inlay graft placement, glans wings were widely mobilized. Urethroplasty was done using 5-0 vicryl stitch, first layer was continuous subcuticular inverting sutures. Second layer was closed using local tissues. Local flap was harvested from the left side and sutured over the urethroplasty as a waterproofing layer using 5-0 vicryl. Glans wings were widely mobilized and distal urethroplasty along with glansplasty was done using 5-0 vicryl.

3 a & b Picture showing site of oral mucosa graft harvest i.e upper lip and oral mucosa graft, it has been placed and quilted in the urethral bed.

4 a & b: Distal urethroplasty completed and local flap harvested from the left side.

5 a & b: Local flap sutured over the urethroplasty, and second picture shows completion of the entire repair.

After undergoing hypospadias repair in a boy, the patient had a per urethral catheter and suprapubic cystostomy (SPC). Dressing change was done on postoperative day 4 followed by operated site inspection on every 4th day. Per urethral catheter was removed on postoperative day 21 and SPC was removed on postoperative day 22.

6. Picture showing status at post operative day 15 and second picture shows urine stream after catheter removal.

Post catheter removal, he was passing urine in single straight stream with no leak. Patient was started on meatal dilatation using meatal dilator with mild steroid ointment for 3 months.

Testimonial from the boy’s father in his own words:

We are from South Africa. We got reference of Dr. Singal from a website, post which I got an appointment. Post which they did a proper evaluation and told that he had to undergo a redo hypospadias repair. Based on the evaluation, he had to do redo surgery for hypospadias repair in a boy. We came here on 22nd of December, procedure was properly explained to us. The surgery went well, post care after the surgery was also extremely good. Total support staff, hospital staff took care of my son very well. After the surgery, the discharge process was very fine, post care after discharge was also very good. The steps were properly explained. Today we are finishing the treatment and going out of India to South Africa. From my experience, the overall procedure was very good and extremely satisfying.

Single Stage Hypospadias Repair In A Boy After Multiple Failed Hypospadias Surgeries

Failed hypospadias repair refers to a situation where the initial surgery to correct hypospadias was not successful. Inspite of the best efforts by the surgeon the complications may happen because every healing of every hypospadias patient is different. We do not know the exact reason for complications after hypospadias surgery but here are some factors which may contribute to post-surgery complications:

Severity of hypospadias: Severe hypospadias repair is more complex and more challenging than mild hypospadias. Total healing time in hypospadias is 3- 4 weeks and it is longer in severe hypospadias. To minimize the risk of complications in severe hypospadias repair, the entire repair may have to be done in 2-3 stages.
Surgical technique: Different surgical techniques have varying success rates, and the choice of technique can impact the outcome. The choice of technique depends on the type of hypospadias, degree of chordee, glans diameter etc. An expert hypospadias surgeon will choose the best technique after considering all the factors because no two techniques are the same, and no two hypospadias are the same.
Experience of the surgeon: The experience of a surgeon is an important factor for successful hypospadias surgery. Centre performing more than 50 surgeries per year will have lesser complications compared to the other centres.
Wound healing: Wound healing is an important deciding factor in complications after any surgery. In hypospadias, wound healing is very slow in adults as compared to children. This may be because of decreased cell turnover with age, a weakened immune system, and reduced blood flow. And if they have any preexisting co-morbid illnesses then healing is slower, with a higher risk of complications.
Age at surgery: The best age to undergo hypospadias surgery is between 6 and 18 months of age. If not done at this age, it should ideally be done by 5 years of age. Parents are sometimes unable to get the surgery done within 5 years of age, and these children, when they reach adulthood, realize that they need surgery to correct the hypospadias. Outcomes in later age are little inferior to childhood hypospadias surgery but still possible. Adults with hypospadias need not lose hope because it’s better late than never. At Hypospadias Foundation, we have been able to achieve good outcomes with cosmetic result with a success rate of more than 90%, even in adults after multiple previous failed surgeries.
Underlying medical conditions: Obese or overweight adults, smokers, poor nutritional status, and diabetes are some of the conditions that can lead to slow healing. Overweight patients or diabetics can develop insulin resistance, causing poor healing. Smokers, nutritional deficiencies, etc. can cause decreased blood flow to the operated site, associated with decreased collagen production, which in turn causes slow healing.

Impact and Considerations after failed hypospadias repair:

A failed hypospadias repair can have both physical and emotional consequences for an individual with adult hypospadias and for parents of kids suffering from hypospadias. Complications that can occur after hypospadias repair are:

Urinary problems: difficulty in urinating, spraying of urine (glans dehiscence), urine passage from multiple holes (fistula), pain in urinating, or urinary tract infections, swelling pf penis during voiding (diverticulum), problems with ejaculation, post void dribbling,
Residual chordee (curvature): The penis may remain bent, affecting sexual intercourse and, in turn, leading to sexual dysfunction.
Cosmetic appearance: The meatus may be at a slightly lower level than normal. This may be disturbing for some individuals. In this case, there will be no problems in passing urine, and it is merely the way it looks different from others.
Psychological impact: As a parent, you may feel helpless and angry after a failed hypospadias. Failure of hypospadias surgery can cause feelings of anxiety, frustration, suicidal tendency, and low self-esteem in an adult. At certain times, adults may need pre- surgery counseling to reduce anxiety and stress. By improving your communication with your doctor and understanding the risks and benefits of surgery, you are more likely to be satisfied with the outcome.

Seeking Help:

If you or someone you know has a failed hypospadias, it’s crucial to seek professional help from a urologist specializing in pediatric urology or hypospadias. They can assess the situation, discuss treatment options, and provide guidance and support throughout the process. Even after previous unsuccessful repairs, there is more than 90% chance that with an expert hypospadias surgeon, the complications can be managed, and your hypospadias can be fully cured.

About Hypospadias Foundation

At Hypospadias Foundation, we get adults and children from all over the world in search of treatment for hypospadias. We provide support and information for children, adults, and their families affected by hypospadias. Dr Singal and Dr Shenoy are deeply devoted to creating awareness and helping patients get the right treatment and best outcomes for hypospadias. Children and adults from more than 25 countries visit Hypospadias Foundation in search of treatment for hypospadias.

Dr A K Singal is a highly experienced surgeon and is regarded as the best hypospadias surgeon in India and in the world for treating children and adults with hypospadias. If you are looking for a highly skilled and experienced pediatric urologist and hypospadias surgeon for yourself or your child, then Dr Singal is an excellent choice.

Dr Ashwitha Shenoy is an expert pediatric surgeon with a special interest in pediatric urology and hypospadias. Dr Singal and Dr Shenoy’s collaboration allows them to offer advanced surgical techniques and comprehensive care for patients.

For appointment kindly contact us at the contact details given below.

MITR hospital & Hypospadias Foundation, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India – Tue/Saturday 4:00pm-6:00pm, Call for appointments: +91-9324180553 (whatsapp), +916262840940, +916262690790 Or email us at hypospadiasfoundationindia@gmail.com

Keywords: best hypospadias surgeon India, Best hypospadias surgeon world, complicated hypospadias repair, oral mucosa graft repair, oral mucosa inlay graft, Hypospadias repair in small penis, failed hypospadias repair, oral mucosa graft urethroplasty, results of hypospadias surgery, failed hypospadias surgery, complications of hypospadias, hypospadias surgery, hypospadias surgeon south Africa,

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March 03 2024

Why does hypospadias occur?

Why does hypospadias occur?

Hypospadias is a congenital abnormality of the penis with an incidence of 1 in 150 live births. In hypospadias, the urinary opening (peehole) is in an abnormal position on the underside of the penis. As a parent of a child with hypospadias, you may wonder what causes hypospadias. Infact this is the most common question which parents ask us in the clinic- Why did my child develop hypospadias?

The exact cause for hypospadias is not known but there are various factors which can increase the risk of hypospadias in your baby. This blog is to help you understand the probable factors which may lead to hypospadias in your baby boy.

Genetic factors:

Family history: While 90-95% of hypospadias are isolated cases, 5-10% of them do run in families. If the father or anyone in first degree family has hypospadias, then the risk of having hypospadias in subsequent male children increases.

Environmental factors:

Maternal exposure to pesticides or herbicides in pregnancy may cause hypospadias.

These pesticides are known to be endocrine disruptors, they interfere with the androgen and oestrogen signalling pathways during genital development, hence causing hypospadias. This is a hypothesis and studies are still under process to clearly link exposure of pesticides to occurrence of hypospadias.

There have been studies showing higher risk of hypospadias due to plasticisers in the single use plastic bottles. The chemicals here act as male hormone blockers and interrupt development of penis, hence causing hypospadias.

Hormonal exposure in pregnancy:

During pregnancy, certain hormones may be advised for the mother to decrease the chance of preterm labour or miscarriage. This is common after invitro fertilization (IVF) conception, twin pregnancy and in precious pregnancies. Carmichael reported that the use of progesterone to prevent early pregnancy loss was associated with risk of developing moderate to severe hypospadias.

Maternal factors:

Maternal pre pregnancy obesity with a BMI>30 has been associated with 1.3-to-2-fold increased risk of hypospadias compared to other women who had normal weight in the pre pregnancy period.

Maternal nutrition is very important for the development of fetus. Folic acid supplementation in the pre conceptional period is necessary to prevent various congenital anomalies. Study conducted by Mavrogenis et al showed that folic acid supplementation early in pregnancy was associated with low risk of hypospadias.

Hypertension in pregnancy and usage of anti-hypertensive medicines are associated with development of hypospadias in the fetus. Untreated hypertension has an odds ratio of is 2.1 and anti-hypertensive usage in pregnancy has an odds ratio of 1.6 for development of hypospadias. The cause for this is most likely because of reduced placental perfusion in hypertension.

It has been hypothesized that the maternal use of estrogen and progestin may cause hypospadias because of interference with fetal androgen production or action. Several other medications have been associated with moderate to severe hypospadias. These include ibuprofen (odds ratio 1.2), Venlafexine(odd ratio 2.4), proton pump inhibitors(odds ratio 4.4) and clomiphene citrate(ovulation induction agent with odds ratio 1.9)

Birth factors:

Infants with hypospadias are most likely to be born preterm, low birth weight or small for gestational age. These are more strongly associated with severe hypospadias than the milder forms of hypospadias. Placental dysfunction may fail to stimulate fetal androgen production which is necessary for urethral closure. It also causes reduced transfer of nutrients to the fetus causing growth restriction. Placental dysfunction and androgen deficiency in early pregnancy are known to cause intrauterine growth restriction and hypospadias.

The most important message here is that it is not the fault of the mother or father which can cause hypospadias in their child. The above-mentioned factors may increase the risk of hypospadias but that is not always true. A pregnant woman should take care of her health and avoid exposure to chemicals as much as possible. She should maintain a healthy diet, get good sleep, and avoid stress. Even if your child has hypospadias inspite of all the extra care, do not worry. Hypospadias is a condition that can be easily corrected by surgery by an expert pediatric urologist or a surgeon who specializes in hypospadias repairs.

At hypospadias foundation India, we have been blessed to treated families having twins or two brothers with hypospadias. We also have cases where father had hypospadias and then their child had hypospadias. Some of these parents themselves did not achieve good results in their day and age but now with latest techniques which we use at Hypospadias Foundation, the results which their children get after hypospadias repair surgery are very good.

In current era, success rate of hypospadias in first surgery itself is more than 95%. At hypospadias foundation, we treat hundreds of children and adults with hypospadias every year, both the ones which are primary or the ones where the previous repair has failed. If your child has hypospadias, do visit us, or consult us online to get the best hypospadias treatment for your child. Every child deserves the best and we are here to support you to give the best care to your child.

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August 08 2023

Dr A.K.Singal presents his work at Hypospadias World Congress at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, USA

Dr A.K. Singal was an invited speaker at the Hypospadias World Congress, held at the Children’s Research Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA, between 30th October 2019 and 1st November 2019. Dr. Singal presented four papers on hypospadias treatment and moderated scientific sessions during the conference. His groundbreaking contributions further solidify his reputation as an expert in the field of pediatric urology, driving innovative advancements in hypospadias surgery and treatment.

The conference saw participation from more than 150 pediatric urologists and hypospadias specialists from across the world. The conference solely focussed on hypospadias. Various aspects of hypospadias were discussed such as etiology, diagnosis, hormonal tests and supplementation (testosterone injections), surgery techniques and complications/ results of hypospadias surgeries.

Dr. A.K.Singal

Dr. Singal with Dr. Long & Dr. Zaontz

Dr. Singal presented the following lectures and papers in the World Congress:

Buccal inlay graft for failed hypospadias- Dr Singal showed technique of buccal (oral) mucosa graft inlay surgery and its results in failed hypospadias cases.
Considerations in adult hypospadias repairs- Adult hypospadias are difficult to manage especially if the surgery done in childhood has failed. Dr Singal showed innovative surgery techniques for such adult hypospadias cases for best outcomes.
Reimagined Byar’s flaps for staged hypospadias repairs- For hypospadias with severe chordee, it is important that the penile curvature gets fully corrected in first stage and then second stage surgery is done for bringing the urethra to the tip of penis. In expert hands the results of two stage surgery for hypospadias with severe chordee is very good. Dr Singal showed finer nuances of surgery to achieve best results to the audience.
Parental Awareness survey for families with hypospadias: Families of children or adults with hypospadias are often not fully aware of the extent of disease and what it means in the long run. Dr Singal and his team conducted a study of 150 families to understand about their concerns about hypospadias and their knowledge level about the disease/ surgery.

Overall the three-day conference resulted in great mutual exchange of ideas and also helped younger generation of surgeons learn from eminent faculty from all over the world.

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Category Archives: About Hypospadias

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Single Stage Hypospadias Repair In A Boy After Multiple Failed Hypospadias Surgeries

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Dr. Singal presented the following lectures and papers in the World Congress:

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