Congenital Megaprepuce: Literature Review and Surgical Correction

Buried Penis: A Rare Cause of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms in the Pediatric Population

A buried penis is a probably underdiagnosed entity. It is defined as a penis of normal size that appears to be smaller than expected due to concealment within the pubic tissue. This case report explores the presentation of a 12-month-old male infant with exuberant ballooning of the prepuce during micturition, requiring manual expression of urine for the duration of two months prior to presentation. The penis was not visible above the skin level, with only the glands covered by prepuce protruding. However, the penis could be exposed when holding the base of the penis, revealing a regular-sized penis. The clinical diagnosis of a buried penis with megaprepuce was assumed, and the patient was referred to the pediatric surgery department for further management. Corrective surgery was performed nine months later with excellent cosmetic and functional results. The buried penis has a typical appearance with a partially visible or completely invisible penis, with only the glans covered by prepuce protruding, and it can be completely asymptomatic or cause micturition difficulties, sexual dysfunction, and recurrent urinary tract infections or balanitis. The diagnosis is clinical and the treatment is surgical, although the surgical approach is controversial.

Byar's flaps in the management of congenital megaprepuce

INTRODUCTION

Early management of congenital megaprepuce (CMP) is necessary to address recurrent urinary tract infections and parental concerns. Different procedures, mostly using the inner preputial skin to cover the phallus, have been described. However, cosmetic appearance with the inner preputial covering of the penis is suboptimal. Owing to this, we conducted this study using outer preputial skin in the form of Byar's flaps to cover the penile shaft and analysed the results.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective study included 19 patients with CMP operated by a single surgeon using the Byar's flap technique. Following surgery patients were assessed on the 4^th post-operative day, at 3 months and 1-year post-operative for cosmetic and functional outcomes. Parental satisfaction about cosmetic results was evaluated using a subjective score. Data were collected and analysed.

RESULTS

Nineteen patients with CMP were studied with a mean age of 6.3 months. Nineteen patients (100%) patients presented with buried penis and preputial ballooning, malodorous infected urine in 15 (78.9%) patients, thin stream of urine in 17 (89.4%) and dysuria in 12 (63%) patients. One of the patients had associated glanular hypospadias and the other two had isolated chordee. There were no significant complications except for one patient who developed meatal stenosis which was later managed by a meatoplasty. All patients had satisfactory cosmetic appearance.

CONCLUSION

CMP is an uncommon but easily identifiable condition. Early surgical correction is recommended to prevent complications. Byar's flap technique yields very good functional and cosmetic results in the management of CMP.