L-Shaped Incision in Composite Reduction Labiaplasty

Labia minora hypertrophy, in combination with clitoral hood protrusion, is a common deformity encountered in clinic practice and should be treated as a compound entity. Most targeted surgical procedures are too complex to understand and master. Herein, we introduce a relatively simple method to correct this deformity. In this study, we retrospectively review our experience treating patients with deformity of labia minora hypertrophy combined with clitoral hood protrusion between January 2017 and November 2019. All patients received correction surgery to repair the complex deformity. During the procedures, we divided the complex operation into two parts: clitoral hood reduction using L-shaped incision and then labiaplasty using L-shaped edge resection. We describe the details of the method step-by-step and evaluate the treatment outcomes. A total of 38 sides (14 bilateral procedures and 10 unilateral procedures) of clitoral hood reduction and labiaplasty were performed. There were no wound healing complications in any cases. One patient had a secondary corrective operation for obvious asymmetry of bilateral labia minora. Ultimately, all the patients were satisfied with the cosmetic appearance and did not have complaints. The surgical procedure we describe proved to be an effective, simple method for dealing with the complex situation of hypertrophy of labia minora combined with clitoral hood protrusion. Subsequent L-shaped edge resection of labiaplasty is appropriate for individuals with darker skin, in particular.Level of evidence V This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 . Genital Surgery.

Clitoral reduction: Technical note

Clitoral hypertrophy is a rare genital malformation that can be congenital or acquired. In congenital forms, the most common cause is adrenal hyperplasia. The acquired forms are caused by endocrinological diseases, benign tumours or cysts. Idiopathic clitoral hypertrophies can be detected after the elimination of secondary causes. A complete assessment is needed to treat the origin of clitoridomegaly. The hypertrophy is often increased or unmasked during sexual arousal with the appearance of a true vulvar appendage in erection. It is often accompanied by a hypertrophy of the clitoral hood and can cause psychological suffering with an impact on the quality of sexual life. When the cause of clitoral hypertrophy is diagnosed, treated or stabilized, the plastic surgeon may be called upon for surgical correction. Reconstructive surgery in this area has evolved considerably since the historical clitoral amputations which led to the current technique of partial resection with sparing the dorsal neurovascular pedicle of the clitoris as described by Professor Paniel. We propose a modified conservative technique to treat clitoral hypertrophy and the clitoral hood and present two clinical cases: ventral reduction clitoridoplasty with preservation of the neurovascular pedicle associated with a chevron plasty of the clitoral hood and a lipofilling of the labia majora. The postoperative follow-up is simple with reports of great satisfaction from patients regarding their quality of life.

Study of clitoral hood anatomy in the pediatric population

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS

Pediatric female genitalia size and morphology have not previously been well described. The aims of this study were to create a standard reference for the anterior vulval structures, and examine the relationship between the clitoral hood and labia minora.

METHOD

Female patients between 0 and 16 years of age, and with normal external genitalia had the following measurements taken: length of clitoral hood, length of sides of clitoral hood, clitoral diameter, apex of clitoral hood to base of pubic symphysis, apex of clitoral hood to urethral orifice, distance of clitoral hood to labia majora, and length and depth of labia minora. Qualitative descriptors of the clitoral hood and labia were recorded. Patients were grouped into age ranges for analysis: 0-3 years, 4-8 years, 9-12 years, and 13-16 years.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight girls were examined. There was a linear relationship between age and genital structure size. In the majority of patients, the labia minora converged under the clitoral glans, separate to the clitoral hood. Four shapes of clitoral hood were observed: horseshoe, trumpet, coffee bean, and tent.

DISCUSSION

This study observed great variation in size and morphology of pediatric female genitalia, which is in keeping with other studies. The study was limited by ability to recruit older patients to the study (girls aged 11-16 years) and, therefore, there were lower numbers in this age category. However, the trends that were observed were present in both younger and older girls.

CONCLUSION

External genitalia size and morphology are varied in the pediatric female population. The clitoral hood and labia minora were observed to be distinctly separate structures. This study provides a reference for surgeons undertaking genital reconstruction procedures. The study demonstrated that the clitoral hood and labia minora are anatomically distinct structures.