Preputioplasty : A guide to Circumcision

This is also known as ‘prepuceplasty’: it is a surgical procedure which is performed to widen the foreskin to enable this to be pulled back. The foreskin is too narrow which is due to a tight ring of tissue called a ‘stenosis’ which prevents it from being retracted.

This stenosis forms a ‘waist’ around the foreskin which prevents it from being pulled back from the head of the penis (glans).

Preputioplasty is performed under anaesthesia and involves the surgeon making two vertical incisions in the foreskin to release the stenosis. These are then closed using stitches but this will have widened the foreskin which means that it can be retracted.

There is another option to stitches which involves using a heated probe which seals off any bleeding. Another option is bipolar diathermy which uses electric current to do the same thing.

This procedure is used to treat phimosis and is an alternative to circumcision. It is seen as less invasive, less traumatic and quicker to heal than circumcision.

Dorsal slit

Another similar procedure is a dorsal slit which involves making an incision in the foreskin to help loosen it and widen it at the same time. This single incision reveals the glans but does not involve any removal of tissue.

This is less commonly performed in favour of preputioplasty.