Phimosis Treatment in Bangalore | Nelivigi Multispeciality Hospital

This is a condition where there is inability to retract the skin of the penis from the head of the penis. All male children have this condition when they are born. This is called physiological phimosis. As they grow up, the skin gradually becomes detached from the head of penis and can be retracted. In 90% of the children this happens by the age of 3 years. However, in some children the separation may happen as late as at the age of 17 years. Phimosis is called pathological when the skin becomes unretractable as a result of tear or injury to the foreskin.

Symptoms of phimosis:

The child with phimosis may present with pain while urinating, recurrent urinary tract infection, ballooning of prepuce while urinating or itching of the tip of penis. An adult may, in addition present with pain in penis on erection or intercourse as the skin is adherent to the glans. Phimosis may also be seen in people with diabetes and infections of the foreskin.

Evaluation:

The investigations are simple. It is diagnosed by physical examination. In adults who have secondary phimosis due to infection of the foreskin, diabetes has to be ruled out.

Treatment:

In very young children an instruction to the parents to gently pull back the foreskin after applying steroid ointment applied locally may help. The parents must be told not to use force to retract the prepuce as it may bleed and worsen the phimosis by causing tears .In older children and adults, circumcision may be advised. In circumcision, the skin covering the glans or head of the penis is removed so that the glans is permanently exposed .Another less invasive and alternative option to circumcision is to do a procedure called dorsal skin slit. Here instead of removing the skin, only a cut is made in the skin along the shaft of the penis so that it becomes easily retractable.

Both these surgeries are done in adults are done under local anesthesia and the patient can go home within a few hours after surgery. He can resume his routine work within 24 hours except strenuous activities.

What are the side effects of circumcision?

It is a very safe and simple surgery with hardly any complications. In fact circumcision is done in Muslims and Jews for religious reasons and is being done for centuries without any side effects.

Are there any medical advantages of circumcision?

There are well documented studies which show that circumcision protects against sexually transmitted diseases like HIV. This   is because removal of the foreskin also removes certain type of immune cells in the prepuce which harbor HIV viruses. Therefore there are medical benefits of circumcision but as long as penile hygiene and safe sexual practices are maintained, the chances of infection are very low.

 

To know more, visit: www.nelivigimultispecialityhospital.com