Redo Hypospadias Archives - Hypospadias Foundation

March 03 2020

Failed Hypospadias Surgery- Second opinion from a Hypospadias Specialist surgeon may help

Hypospadias remains one of the most common urological anomalies in children. With almost 1/150 boys across the world born with hypospadias every year, there is a large number of children with hypospadias who do not reach the right hypospadias doctor. Failed hypospadias surgery can compound these challenges, highlighting the importance of seeking specialized care. Hypospadias is a complex anomaly, and there are many variations possible in anatomy which dictate the type of surgical repair being done and results thereof.

Results and complications of hypospadias surgery depend on the experience of the hypospadias surgeon and his interest in managing the condition. While some hypospadias surgeries fail due to failure on the part of the surgeon to select the proper technique of repair, others fail due to unknown reasons and it is difficult to go back and check whatever the reason may be. Unfortunately the time only moves one way and that is forward.

The common type of failures or complications seen in hypospadias surgery are:

Urethral fistula- leakage of urine from somewhere other than main hole- 2-3 streams may be seen. Fistula formation is the most common complication of hypospadias surgery.
Stricture or stenosis: new passage may become tight leading to narrow stream, painful urination and straining to pass urine. This can be at the tip- meatal stenosis or somewhere down in the new passage.
Curvature: Sometimes surgeon doesn’t correct the chordee fully because of which there is residual chordee. Remember if the chordee is not corrected fully in the first surgery, there is always a chance of failure of surgeries and future complications. Hence, chordee correction is the most important step in the hypospadias surgery.
Diverticulum: here the new urethra balloons up leading to visible swelling in the penis while passing urine. This can lead to local and urine infections as well difficulty in passing urine.
Dehiscence: Sometimes the repair gives way completely- this can be at the level of glans (glans dehiscence) or partial or complete dehiscence
Penile torsion: If the penis is rotated around its axis, it is called penile torsion. Sometimes the penile torsion is present before the surgery or it can happen post-surgery also due to complication of the hypospadias surgery itself.
Poor cosmetic result: If there is kin level sinus formation, uneven tags or even penile skin shortening, this can lead to poor cosmetic outlook.

How second opinion can help for a child or adult with failed hypospadias

Hypospadias is one clinical condition where we do not need any complicated tests or examination to determine if the child had a success of the hypospadias surgery or not. If the child is passing urine from the tip of penis, in a single, straight, thick stream comfortably and the erections are straight- they know that the surgery has been successful.

Often the primary surgeon may be not able to manage the complication, may not be an expert in managing failed hypospadias, or may not be able to think through the complication roadmap due to a mental roadblock. In such situations, an expert neutral second opinion from an experienced hypospadias surgeon may help significantly. A new line of treatment or a fresh perspective may help in finding the right solution. At Hypospadias Foundation, we often see cases where the first surgeon has tried 3-4 surgeries, sometimes even 6-7, and they have not worked; clearly, a new approach should have been taken to give a good result. If you’re dealing with the aftermath of failed hypospadias surgery, trust in our expertise for comprehensive evaluation and personalized solutions.

How to take a second opinion for hypospadias

You can just fill-up this form (Contact form for Hypospadias) or send an email to hypospadiasfoundationindia@gmail.com or communicate via whatsapp with Dr Rajkumar – +919821261448. It is best to send pictures of penis, a short video of child passing urine and pictures of previous surgery records. A short summary in a word document also helps us in understanding the issue. We typically get back with an opinion within one week.

Payment for second opinion

Most of the times if it is a basic opinion & short straightforward case, Dr Singal discusses with Dr Rajkumar and then Dr Rajkumar sends an outline of suggested approach via email. There are no charges for a basic second opinion. Dr Rajkumar has been working and managing all remote consults at Hypospadias Foundation for more than 10 years and has managed more than 2000 cases with Dr Singal.

At other times if the parents wish to speak to Dr Singal or the case requires and extensive review which can’t be done in a short while, then it is time commitment from Dr Singal. Such consultations are chargeable and done on phone or skype. Typical charges vary from 1500 INR to 100 USD.

Can second opinion be given without in person examination?

With the availability of good pictures, videos, medical records and reliable history- a very reliable second opinion can be given for hypospadias. Very rarely, the case is too difficult or needs a physical examination, in such cases we let the family know about this in advance.

Be rest assured that a good outcome after treatment at Hypospadias Foundation in India is a common and mutual goal for us and the family. We get children from all over the world who travel far and wide to India for finding a cure and best results for their child’s failed hypospadias. And we give our best care and treatment to all such families.

Dr. Singal during Hypospadias Surgery

Contact Form for Hypospadias Foundation

Please fill all clinical details and upload pictures and clinical summaries (if available)

January 01 2020

A small complication in hypospadias surgery does not mean the end of the road: Surgeon and Family must work together

Hypospadias Foundation starts Clinic for Hypospadias Treatment & Surgery in Bahrain

Let me begin by saying: Hypospadias Repair surgery is not an easy surgery.

It takes a surgeon years to perfect the art and craft of hypospadias surgery. Every single slice of knife, every single snip of scissors, every single stitch holds the key to a successful hypospadias repair. Inspite of all this, sometimes the results of hypospadias surgery may be suboptimal. The reasons for this are many. Besides an undertrained surgeon or poor equipment or expertise, sometimes the healing after hypospadias surgery is unpredictable. Even after hypospadias surgery, the penis has erections every night, putting the repair at little bit of stress. There may be minor infection, or the child may be nutritionally deficient in micronutrients leading to poor healing. Even if these factors are controlled, individual healing is still very variable phenomenon, leading to a small rate of complications even in expert hands. In best hypospadias centres, hypospadias complications dip to less than 5% for distal hypospadias and less than 15% for severe hypospadias.

Any complication which happens can be disheartening for the family, the child as well as for the hypospadias surgeon. Surgeons particularly get emotionally disturbed and keep thinking about it even when they go back home and more so the surgeons who are sensitive. We as surgeons forget out 95% successes and keep carrying the burden of our complications back to our homes and our families, even the minor things haunt us. Though we may keep a strong face on the exterior, much required, inside we suffer every time something doesn’t go well. Hence, we keep striving for better and better results.

Dr A.K.Singal, Pediatric Urologist India

Well coming back to the point- One of the most common complications of hypospadias surgery is Urethral Fistula formation. Having a complication such as fistula is not the end of the road. If the family has faith and the surgeon is experienced, urethral fistula can be managed easily with a minor second surgery in most of the cases.

I wish to share one story sent by the parents on an email to us and without any changes. The family came to us from Pune to Navi Mumbai for hypospadias treatment. Here we go:

It was indeed the happiest day of our lives when we welcomed our little bundle of joy; but soon after our son was born, the paediatrician informed us the baby is having a condition called Hypospadias with chordee albeit the degree of both the conditions was really minor, yet requiring surgery. The term Hypospadias was unheard of until then by us as well as seniors in the family. It was so devastating for us to know that the little one is already scheduled for the surgery – especially on such delicate place – before even he is a month old. Although the surgery was never life threatening and was elective in nature, as parents we were extremely nervous and anxious. Like every anxious parent, we too googled about the condition – which helped us understand better about hypospadias – before taking the next step of seeing the surgeon. Here in Pune, we did meet at least 2-3 paediatric surgeons (not the urologists or who specialise in hypospadias surgery). A senior doctor suggested 2 surgeries even for this minor hypospadias. Later we met 2-3 more doctors who suggested various methods be it keeping baby hospitalised for 7 to 10 days with medicines administered through IV lines or keeping the baby open after catheterization plus keeping his legs tied to each other in order to avoid dislodgement of catheter when he moves his legs; not to mention we were extremely petrified after meeting all these doctors as they were not at all empathetic not cordial. Not unexpectedly we were not convinced with any of the doctors as through google we already had understood that the condition can be treated as a day care surgery and babies are managed on oral medicines and in double diapers. Here, no doctor was talking about diaper and taking the baby home next day if not the same day. With due to respect to these doctors, we didn’t want to go ahead with the doctor with whom we were not comfortable with whatever little knowledge we have had gathered on this subject. The question of finding the right doctor was still there. Again, while googling we could get to know that there could be doctors who specialise as paediatric urologists and have vast experience of treating the babies / kids with hypospadias. Thanks to google and age of internet we found Dr. A.K. Singal.

The day we met Dr. Singal:

By the time we met Dr. Singal, our son was already 5 months old. After meeting Dr. Singal we realised why things didn’t move ahead with the previous doctors. Meeting Dr. Singal was so up to the mark as he explained the condition in detail, what he will be doing in the operation theatre and how the baby will be managed post-surgery. He was not only empathetic but also cordial and could understand what exactly the parents must be going through when their little ones must go through the surgery at very young age. His attitude was very positive. We had met the doctor we were looking for. Needless to say, we were so convinced and decided to go ahead with the surgery by Dr. AK Singal. He confirmed that both the defects would be covered in one surgery and the chances of any complications could be considered up to 2-3%. The age he suggested for the surgery was between 6 to 9 months. We took our own time to decide on the date of surgery and scheduled it when he was 14 months old. In the meanwhile, we met Dr. Singal twice with the doubts that we had. Each time he was very cordial in explaining the doubts in detail.

On the day of Surgery:

It was finally the day of the surgery. Nevertheless, we knew that the surgery is going to be for baby’s own good, yet our hearts were in the mouth. The doctor, as well the staff are so good that they would cater to every alarm by an extra-anxious and sensitive parent like me. The surgery went well, and the baby was brought back to the room. He was sleeping most of the day but when he opened his eyes I missed my heartbeat in the anticipation that he, now, would feel pain and the soreness; but to our surprise, he did not have any post-surgical pain on that day and any following day thereafter till the wound was healing. He was at his playful best by the next morning of surgery. He was kept in double diapers i.e. a hole was made in the inner diaper through which catheter was brought out and left to drain in the outer diaper. This method provides a cushion to the operated site, avoids catheter getting pulled accidently and makes it easy for parents to carry the child. Doctor suggested us to go home the next day, but we decided to continue for one more day for the betterment of the child. The nurses were so attentive and very cordial. After removal of the dressing and catheter, unfortunately our son caught the infection at the operated site which resulted in an extremely tiny fistula, which could not be spotted unless seen with the extreme care. This fistula was so tiny that the urine would come out from it in a drop or two. Later, as he was growing the urine output from the fistula grew to multiple drops.

Next appointments with the doctor:

Despite our son developed the fistula, our faith in the doctor never faded away as we were sure that doctor must have done his job with 100% care, and it was our and our baby’s fate to have the complication. The doctor never rushed and pushed us for the second surgery. He was hopeful that this tiny fistula can be healed on its own over the course of time; but the misfortune may have it, the fistula never healed, and worsened with the age by the end of year 2018. We had no choice but to put him through yet another surgery. This time as well the same protocols were followed and now our son is doing good after relatively minor second surgery.

Notes for the parents:

Please do your research when your little one requires any kind of surgery.
Have your questions ready so that you don’t miss any of them while you see the doctor
Trust your vibes. Don’t go ahead with the doctor unless you’re 100% convinced.
Get all your doubts cleared before you schedule your little one for the surgery
Take a note of your baby’s food habits and arrange for them well in advance, especially if you are an intercity / interstate / international patient. Carry sufficient (or maybe surplus) supplies during this crucial time as the baby / child can be cranky due to change in schedule and nonetheless due to procedure.
Carry his / her favourite toys, as that can sooth them.
Engage them with cartoon videos
Most importantly, however low and stressed you feel, never show baby /child your emotions and keep the spirit high. This is a tough time which too shall pass, just hang in there.
Follow medicine schedule very promptly. Be on top of the pain. Be very punctual when to comes to medicine schedule.
Be vigilant but don’t panic, call the hospital if you are not sure what to do?

Hope this story helped the families out there in some way. The lessons from the story can help both the surgeon and the family in having faith in the worst of times.

Take care and god bless.

Dr Singal

January 01 2019

From Assam to Navi Mumbai – A child with Failed Hypospadias surgery treated by Buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty at Hypospadias Foundation

Hypospadias Foundation starts Clinic for Hypospadias Treatment & Surgery in Bahrain

Hypospadias repair surgery all over the world is done by surgeons from various fields such as Pediatric Urologists, Pediatric Surgeons, Urologists and Plastic surgeons. Considering that the number of children who suffer from Hypospadias is very high (almost 1 lakh in India every year and 3 lakhs all over the world), and that there are very less number of pediatric urologists in India (less than 10) it is obvious that majority of hypospadias would not be able to reach a pediatric urologist for best hypospadias treatment. That being said, results of the hypospadias surgery depend on the experience and interest of the surgeon in treating children with hypospadias more than the degree. Once a surgeon is doing more than 50-60 hypospadias repairs every year, the results of hypospadias surgery improve significantly. The accepted rate of complications in hypospadias correction is less than 25% in proximal severe hypospadias and less than 10% in more common distal or midpenile hypospadias. The children who have a failed hypospadias surgery may need a second surgery and in some cases even more surgeries. These failed hypospadias surgeries must be done by a hypospadias specialist or an expert hypospadias surgeon for best results.

Master A.R was born in Dibrugarh (Assam) and was noted to have a distal penile hypospadias. He underwent hypospadias repair surgery at Dibrugarh, Assam by a Pediatric surgeon at 2 years of age. After hypospadias surgery, he was kept in hospital for 10 days but upon removal of dressing he was noted to have complete breakdown of the hypospadias repair. His urinary opening had regressed back to the same location. Parents were very disturbed by the outcome and the treating doctor told them a second surgery will be needed in 6 months. Parents consulted surgeons in Calcutta (Kolkata) for second opinion for hypospadias but were not happy with their proposed approach. They came to know about Dr A.K.Singal, Hypospadias specialist surgeon doctor at Hypospadias Foundation in Navi Mumbai and contacted us. Finally, in November 2014, the family traveled from Assam in search for second surgery and complete treatment for Failed Hypospadias of their son.

On examination, Master A.R. had a complete dehiscence (breakdown) of the previous hypospadias repair and the urinary opening was still in distal penile location. The glans was open and there was excess skin on one side of penis due to previous surgery. The urethral plate was practically non-existent probably due to scarring from first hypospadias surgery. Parents were explained the various options for the second stage repair for hypospadias. Since there was some extra skin on one side we planned to use parts of it for final repair or use the buccal (oral) mucosa graft (lining of mouth either from cheek or lip).

During surgery, we observed that the skin on the side of the penis had a poor blood supply and was unsuitable to be used for onlay flap for urethroplasty. The second option was to use a buccal mucosa graft either in two stages or in one stage as an inlay graft. We decided to place the graft first as an inlay graft and then decide whether we can do the repair in single stage or do it as a staged urethroplasty. We harvested a 3 cm x 1 cm graft from the lower lip and defatted it nicely. We opened the urethra till we found a normal caliber urethra with thick walls. Then a midline deep incision was given in the urethral plate and graft was sutured in place with very fine absorbable sutures (6-0 PDS). This expanded the urethral plate especially in the head of penis (glans). Single stage inlay buccal (oral) mucosa graft urethroplasty was finished over 8 Fr catheter. Dressing was removed on day 5 and catheter was removed on day 10. A.R. passed urine well after catheter removal with excellent healing of the tissues. Though, he developed minor meatal stenosis (tight opening), this did not need any further surgery. Now after 6 months of surgery, he is doing well and happy passing urine from the tip of penis.

About Buccal (oral) mucosa graft urethroplasty:

Buccal mucosa is the lining of the inside of mouth (Cheeks, lips) and is a very suitable tissue to be used for certain specific situations in failed hypospadias surgery. Buccal mucosa urethroplasty is done for those cases where due to previous failed surgeries there is shortage of skin on the underneath of penis and there is no residual prepuce (foreskin). In primary hypospadias (where no surgeries have been done), there is no role or need for using buccal mucosa.

Parents often get alarmed when they are told that we will be using something from mouth for surgery on penis. But since this is a thin layer and the buccal mucosa has excellent regeneration capacity, once we remove a superficial thin layer, the defect doesn’t even need suturing in most cases. The new lining re-appears in 3-4 days’ time and there is no major long-term problem in most cases. Buccal mucosa is hairless and is used to staying wet, hence it is ideal for urethral reconstruction. Like any other graft, once it is taken from mouth and placed on penis – it has to take new blood supply locally. Hence whenever there is a big graft being taken, we wait for 5-6 months before doing the next surgery. In the present case, since the graft was small- we elected to a do the single stage buccal graft urethroplasty with a good result.

About the author:

Dr A.K.Singal is a renowned Pediatric Urosurgeon and one of the best hypospadias surgeons in world and India. Every year, he treats more than 150 kids and adults with primary and failed hypospadias at Hypospadias foundation in Navi Mumbai, India and at Ibn Al Nafees Hospital in Bahrain. Some of these failed hypospadias patients had given up hope for a good result before their referral to Hypospadias Foundation for successful treatment. With the team work and years of experience in treating patients with complex, severe and failed hypospadias, at Hypospadias Foundation we are able to give them cure and their normal life back.

To contact Dr Singal, Submit your enquiry here: http://www.hypospadiasfoundation.com/contact-form-for-patients/

Watch Surgery Video for Failed Hypospadias by Dr Singal

January 01 2019

A child with multiple Failed Hypospadias surgeries finds cure at Hypospadias Foundation with Staged Buccal (oral) mucosa graft urethroplasty

Hypospadias Foundation starts Clinic for Hypospadias Treatment & Surgery in Bahrain

Hypospadias is very common congenital birth defect of penis. Most of these children require surgery in childhood. The accepted rate of complications after hypospadias repair in less than 20% in sever and under 10% in milder distal or midpenile hypospadias. When the first surgery for hypospadias fails, the children may need a second redo surgery and in some cases third or more surgeries. Such cases are best managed and treated by expert hypospadias surgeons or hypospadias specialist doctors.

Master AKM was born in Mumbai India. He was noted to have severe proximal penile hypospadias. He underwent one hypospadias repair at the age of 5 years and another one at 8 years of age. He developed pain in passing urine and used to really cry at time of passing urine. The treating surgeon at a top mumbai hospital, tried to open the urethra by taking under anesthesia and dilating 3-4 times but the symptoms of pain while passing urine returned again and again.

Finally, the parents came to Hypospadias Foundation in Navi Mumbai and contacted us. The child was attended to by Dr A.K.Singal, Pediatric urologist & hypospadias surgeon. On examination, Master AKM had pus at the new opening of penis which was little under the head of penis even after previous multiple surgeries. The penis skin also looked unhealthy and hard at places. The child was admitted and given antibiotics by injections. Parents were explained about the serious condition and that cystoscopy will be needed to check the reason for child’s difficulty in passing urine.

During cystoscopy, it was realized that the new urethra made during surgery had all become very tight (Stricture). The urethra beyond penile region was also unhealthy till bulbar region near prostate gland. A condition called BXO (Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans) was suspected as the cause of the stricture. Dr Singal discussed with family for the need to open the entire urethra till prostate gland and then put skin from inside the mouth on underside of penis (Buccal mucosa) and then come and do the second stage surgery after 6 months. The parents agreed for the plan for staged buccal (oral) mucosa graft urethroplasty.

The urethra was opened on the underside of penis till bulbar region. Long buccal mucosa graft was harvested from right inner cheek. Since a long graft was needed, another buccal graft was taken from the lower lip (labial oral graft). For the proximal urethra- cheek buccal graft was placed as dorsal inlay graft and urethra was closed till penoscrotal region. From Penoscrotal region till glans- buccal graft from lip and cheek was placed, fixed and left open. A tie-over dressing was done to fix the graft and help in graft uptake.

After 6 months, the graft looked pink, healthy and soft. Second stage urethroplasty was finished over 8 Fr catheter as the graft and surrounding tissues looked supple now. Dressing was removed on day 5 and catheter was removed on day 10. AKM passed urine well after catheter removal with excellent healing of the tissues. We did a uroflowmetry to check flow of urine, it showed an excellent flow rate of 25ml/ sec. AKM remains well after two years of surgery and is growing up to be a smart young man. He and his family have put up all bad memories behind them and are keen to help other families who have kids suffering from hypospadias.

About buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty:

Buccal (oral) mucosa is inner lining of mouth (Cheeks, lips) and is a very good layer to be used for redo surgery in failed hypospadias. Buccal mucosa urethroplasty (also called oral mucosa graft) is recommended when there is shortage of skin on the underneath of penis and there is no residual prepuce (foreskin). Hence, buccal grafts have no role in primary or first surgeries for hypospadias.

Parents often get very worried and alarmed when we as hypospadias surgeons tell them that we will take the skin form the mouth to make urine passage in penis. The reasons are:

Buccal (oral) mucosa has excellent healing properties
Buccal mucosa is soft elastic and is used to wetness
It never grows hair when put inside penis.
Buccal mucosa does not get BXO
Graft sites heal very fast and child can eat normally in a day or two
There is very small chance of any cosmetic deformity as the skin is taken from inside, there is no cut outside the mouth.
Like any other graft, once taken from mouth and placed on penis – it takes new blood supply. Hence, it is better to wait for 6 months before doing the next surgery, in cases where a large graft has been taken.

About the author:

Dr A.K.Singal is a renowned Pediatric Urosurgeon and one of the best hypospadias surgeons in India. At hypospadias Foundation in India and Bahrain, he takes care of more than 150 kids and adults with primary and failed hypospadias. Hypospadias foundation is located at MITR Hospital in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India and at Ibn Al Nafees Hospital, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.

With the team work, expertise, dedication, a bit of luck and years of experience in treating patients with complex, severe and failed hypospadias, at Hypospadias Foundation we are able to give them cure and their normal life back.

To contact Dr Singal, Submit your enquiry here: http://www.hypospadiasfoundation.com/contact-form-for-patients/

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