Collective Circumcision Performed in Sudan: Evaluation in Terms of Early Complications and Alternative Practice

Is it safe to use a thermocautery device for circumcision? Examination of the histopathological changes emerging after thermocautery-assisted circumcisions

Multiple number of techniques and devices have been described concerning circumcision method so far. One of them is thermocautery device, and it has been widely used. Although there is controversy that the penis may be damaged due to the heat generated during the use of the device, not enough histopathological studies have been conducted. We aimed to determine the histopathological changes in human foreskin caused by heat after circumcision with thermocautery and to demonstrate the safety of the use of a thermocautery-assisted circumcision. Forty-one patients were divided into two groups according to the thermal energy used during cutting with thermocautery as follows: high temperature (Group 1, n = 22) and low temperature (Group 2, n = 19). The effect of the heat intensity and depth of the coagulation necrosis produced with thermocautery-assisted circumcisions performed at low and high temperatures were evaluated. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant. Tissue damage is extremely limited in thermocautery-assisted circumcisions, even when it is used at high temperatures. The thermocautery device can be used for effective and safe circumcisions.

Reliability of thermocautery-assisted circumcision: retrospective analysis of circumcision performed voluntarily in countries of low socioeconomic status

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability of thermocautery-assisted circumcision performed voluntarily in patients of poor countries.

Material and methods:

Between 2016 and 2019, 32,000 children aged 7 days to 17 years were circumcised in multiple countries. The patients’ urological examinations were done before the administration of local anaesthesia. Patients revealed to have undescended testicle, inguinal hernia, hypospadias, varicocele, penile rotation anomaly, epispadias and infection were not circumcised. All procedures were performed under local anaesthesia by using thermocautery. Afterwards, mucosa and skin were sutured using absorbable suture and the circumcised penis was dressed. Patients were instructed to remove the dressing after 3 days.

Results:

Bleeding, requiring surgical intervention and drug reactions were not observed. The most observed complication was mucosal oedema, which occurred in approximately one-quarter of patients (26%, 8320/32,000) and continued for 3–5 days after the surgery. The most serious complication was a trapped penis, which occurred in 25 patients (0.078%). In six (0.018%) cases, meatal stenosis developed. Wound infection developed in only 10 (0.03%) cases, through the formation of an aseptic environment. Penile adhesion was seen in 35 cases (0.1%) and improved with anti-inflammatory treatment without any surgical intervention.

Conclusion:

Thermocautery-assisted circumcision can be used as an effective, safe and useful technique with few complications and rapid healing rates.

Thermal cautery-assisted circumcision and principles of its use to decrease complication rates

INTRODUCTION

Circumcision is one of the most frequently applied surgical procedures all over the world and a number of techniques and devices have been described concerning its method. Especially in developing countries where circumcision has been performed intensively under local anaesthesia, the thermocautery device developed to perform circumcisions in a short time and safely has found a widespread application.

OBJECTIVE

We aim to share our experiences concerning application principles of the thermocautery device so as to be able to achieve better cosmetic results with lower complication rates.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between the years 2009 and 2016, a total of 12,355 children between the ages of 40 days and 16 years (mean: 5.1 ± 2.0 years) were circumcised at our hospital. All circumcisions were performed by urologists under local anaesthesia using a thermocautery device (Thermo-Med TM 802B device; Thermo Medikal, Adana, Turkey).

RESULTS

Bleeding that required surgical intervention did not occur in any patient. Compressive dressing was applied to 62 patients who had moderate degrees of bleeding, for haemostasis purposes. Twelve syncopes and four epileptic seizures developed secondary to local anaesthesia were managed in consultation with the Department of Children Health and Diseases. The most serious complication, trapped penis, was seen in 48 patients. All these complications were resolved using surgical interventions. Infection developed in 15 patients, and it was relieved with the administration of oral antibiotherapy. Penile adhesions were relieved in 25 cases, and anti-inflammatory treatment was organised. Meatal stenosis occurred in three cases, and two cases of inclusion cysts were treated with surgical intervention.

DISCUSSION

In countries where circumcision is routinely applied, developing swift and safer methods are of the utmost importance. To this end, we prefer thermocautery, which can satisfy patient demands swiftly and safely.

CONCLUSION

To reduce the complications after circumcision using thermocautery, we think that it is appropriate to pay attention to the following issues during circumcision: The cautery should be turned in a serial manner and both sides of the blade should be used for cutting, and temperature of the thermocauter should be adjusted according to the skin thickness. The cutting process should be achieved in two steps, and another method should be preferred for buried penis. If these rules are followed, we think that the thermocautery-supported method can be a very safe and fast circumcision method.

Examination of short and long term complications of thermocautery, plastic clamping, and surgical circumcision techniques

Objective:

In this study, thermocautery, plastic clamping, and conventional (open surgical) circumcision techniques were compared in terms of their complications.

Methods:

Male patients who underwent circumcisions between May 2014 and May 2015 in two separate pediatric surgery clinics were retrospectively analyzed using the hospital registry system. These patients were evaluated in terms of age, accompanying pathologies, anesthesia techniques, complication rates, duration of surgery, and circumcision techniques. A statistical analysis of the data was performed, with a P<0.05 considered to be statistically significant.

Results:

The patients were divided into three groups according to the circumcision method: conventional surgical circumcision (n=833), thermocautery (n=1011), and plastic clamp (n=218). Complications were observed in 21 cases (1%): bleeding (11), infection (2), trapped penis (6), meatitis (1), and scrotal injury (1). There were significantly fewer complications in the thermocautery technique when compared to the clamping and surgical circumcision techniques. The plastic clamping and thermocautery techniques were superior to a surgical circumcision in terms of the operation time.

Conclusion:

The thermocautery circumcision technique can be used easily in both the operating theatre and in designated circumcision rooms, with a lower complication rate, when compared to plastic clamping and surgical circumcisions.

A fast, easy circumcision procedure combining a CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate adhesive: a non-randomized comparative trial

Background

Circumcision is performed as a routine operation in many countries, more commonly for religious and cultural reasons than for indicated conditions, such as phimosis and balanitis. There are many techniques available, and recently electrocautery and both Nd:YAG and CO₂ lasers, instead of blades, have been used for skin and mucosal incisions. However, the infection risk in circumcisions performed using a CO₂ laser was 10% higher. There are also reports of sutureless procedures using cyanoacrylate, but these have higher risks of hematoma and hemorrhage. We combined a CO₂ laser and cyanoacrylate to shorten the operation time and to decrease bleeding complications.

Materials and Methods

: Circumcisions were performed under general anesthesia with CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate combination in 75 6–9-year-old boys between May 2013 and August 2014 only for religious reasons. As a control, we compared them retrospectively with 75 age-matched patients who were circumcised using the conventional guillotine method in our clinic.

Results

No hematomas, bleeding, or wound infections were observed. One wound dehiscence (1.33%) occurred during the early postoperative period and healed without any additional procedures. The median operating time was 7 (range 6–9) minutes. The conventional guillotine group comprised one hematoma (1.3%), two wound dehiscences (2.6%), and two hemorrhages (2.6%), and the median operating time was 22 (range 20–26) minutes. The difference in surgical time was significant (p<0.001), with no significant difference in the rate of complications between the two groups.

Conclusion

The combined CO2 laser and cyanoacrylate procedure not only decreased the operating time markedly, but also eliminated the disadvantages associated with each individual procedure alone.