Hypospadias

Overview

Pediatric urologists at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota have extensive experience with surgery to correct congenital hypospadias; they perform these operations weekly.

Treatment

The best treatment for hypospadias is penile surgery, which should be performed around age 1. Success rates with most operations range between 80 and 90 percent. Mayo Clinic pediatric urologists advise that a boy be seen by a specialist shortly after birth to discuss the timing of surgery, types of operations and other questions parents may have. Boys with hypospadias should not be circumcised, so the foreskin can be preserved for use in surgical repair.

Surgery usually restores the normal appearance of the penis and most males can have normal sexual function and fertility as adults. Most hypospadias surgery can be done on an outpatient basis (no overnight stay in the hospital). Most patients remain in the Rochester area for five to six days after surgery for follow-up care.

About Hypospadias

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Hypospadias is a condition in which the opening of the urethra is on the underside of the penis instead of at the tip. (The urethra is the tube through which urine drains from the bladder and exits the body.) An abnormally bent penis also frequently occurs in this condition. Hypospadias is a congenital defect (present at birth) which occurs in 3 of 1,000 boys. In mild cases, the opening of the urethra is near the tip of the penis; in more severe cases, the opening is on the midshaft or near the base of the penis.