Aesthetic Scrotoplasty: Systematic Review and a Proposed Treatment Algorithm for the Management of Bothersome Scrotum in Adults

Despite previous reports showing consistently elevated patient satisfaction with penile implantation, it is our impression that patients who have had a prosthesis placed often complain of penile shortening postoperatively. We sought to evaluate if the release of the penoscrotal web would optimize patient perception and satisfaction regarding penile length after such procedure. Utilizing a questionnaire, we evaluated patient satisfaction, focusing on phallic size. Ninety patients (mean age 62) underwent penile prosthesis placement during a 17-month period. Forty-three were carried out with takedown of penoscrotal web during a 17-month period (group 1). Of group 1, 39 patients had an inflatable implant placed (inflatable penile prosthesis) and 4 had a semirigid implant. The patients were directly inquired with a seven-item questionnaire 3 months after the procedure. These results were then compared to a group of 37 patients that had penile implants placed without release of the penoscrotal web (group 2). All the patients involved in the study had a high insertion of the scrotum ventrally (penoscrotal web). Of the patients, 42/43 (98%) (group 1) reported good overall satisfaction of the surgical procedure; 36/43 (84%) reported some degree of increase in penile length; 5/43 (12%) reported no significant change in their perception of penile length postoperatively. The remaining two patients reported a decreased penile length. The clinical records from group 2 demonstrated 31/37 (84%) of the patients complained of penile shortening, and only one patient reported an increase in penile length. Postoperative complications in group 1 consisted of wound hematoma (2/43) and focal superficial wound dehiscence (3/43). The operative time for group 1 patients was approximately 12 minutes (mean 11.7) longer. Release of penoscrotal web is a simple, safe, and reproducible procedure that can enhance patient perception of penile length and further improve satisfaction.

A concealed penis is defined as a phallus of normal size buried in prepubic tissue (buried penis), enclosed in scrotal tissue (webbed penis), or trapped by scar tissue after penile surgery (trapped penis). We report our results using a standardized surgical approach that was highly effective in both functional and cosmetic terms. From January 2002 to December 2005, 56 patients (median age 7 years) underwent surgery for a buried penis, 11 (median age 5 years) for a webbed penis, and 20 (median age 8 years) for a trapped penis. All 20 patients with a trapped penis had previously undergone circumcision for phimosis, except for 3 (1 for multioperated lymphangioma, 1 for repaired hypospadias, and 1 for corrected glanular epispadia). All webbed penises were phimotic, requiring circumcision. The surgical technique consisted of complete exteriorization of the shaft and reconstruction of the penopubic and penoscrotal angles. These maneuvers, however, proved extremely straightforward, with the addition of an incision along the scrotal raphe without any incision of the penile skin. All the patients were observed for at least 1 year after repair. Recurrence was observed in 3 boys with a buried penis (5.3%); all 3 boys were obese. Two cases of a trapped penis (10.0%) recurred, but no case of a webbed penis recurred. Regarding complications, 2 patients with a buried penis presented with mild lymphatic stasis of distal shaft that spontaneously subsided within a few months. The scrotal approach we have described has simplified the complete exteriorization of the penile shaft, with easy bleeding control, avoiding the use of flaps, grafts, and additional ventral Z-plasty often described in published reports. In addition, the cosmetic results were judged to be good by the parents.

The concealed penis is a long-standing problem that only recently has begun to receive the attention it deserves. We offer a classification for this general disorder, which facilitates the selection of appropriate surgical procedures for these patients. To correct the most common problem, the buried penis, involves removal of localized deposits of fat from the hypogastrium with open surgical or closed suction techniques followed by anchoring of the skin of the base of the penis to the periosteum of the pubis. During the last year we have used this approach successfully in 7 boys with various forms of penile concealment with good results.