Total phallic construction techniques in transgender men: an updated narrative review

From 2012, the World Professional Association Transgender Health defined a structured therapeutic path and standards of care for transgender patients undergoing genital gender affirming surgery (GGAS). The main goal of GGAS in transgender males is to provide patients with an aesthetically appealing appearance of the neophallus that should allow standing micturition and enabling penetrative intercourse along with erogenous and tactile sensitivity. The optimal procedure should be safe, reproducible and performed in the fewest number of surgical stages. The ideal technique for total phallic construction (TPC) has not yet been demonstrated; TPC remains challenging and, from a functional point of view, it is also make more demanding as yet there are no perfect replacement materials for erectile and urethral tissues. Several procedures and different type of flaps (pedicled and free-flaps) have been proposed and investigated over time to address TPC with significant advances over the years especially after microsurgical procedures introduction. Due to its high complexity TPC is not free from complications. Local tissue ischaemic complications, complete and partial flap loss, donor site morbidity and urethral complications (fistulae and strictures) are reported. This narrative review aims to provide the readers with a contemporary overview of surgical procedures for TPC in transgender males focusing on key surgical steps, as well as surgical and functional outcomes.     

Surgical Reconstruction for Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment

Background

The primary challenge of male-to-female reassignment surgery is to create natural-appearing female genitalia with neovaginal dimensions adequate for intercourse, neoclitoris sensitivity, and minimal risk of complications. Surgical positioning is an important component of the procedure that successfully minimizes the risk of morbidity.

Objective

We modified various vaginoplasty techniques to better position the urethral neomeatus in the proper anatomic location to minimize the chance for complications and enhance aesthetic satisfaction.

Design, setting, and participants

We retrospectively reviewed data stored in a prospective database for 24 consecutive patients who underwent male-to-female gender reassignment at a German university clinic between January 2007 and March 2011.

Surgical procedure

First, orchiectomy and penile disassembly are performed with the patient in the supine position. Both corpora cavernosa are resected with the patient in the lithotomy position, and neovaginal construction is accomplished with the incorporation of the penile urethra into the penile shaft skin. The glans is preserved and resized to form the neoclitoris. The assembled neovagina is inverted, inserted into the expanded rectoprostatic space, and secured to the sacrospinous ligament. Scrotal skin is tailored to create the labia.

Outcome measurements and statistical analysis

Complications and patient satisfaction with neovaginal depth, appearance, neoclitoral sensation, and capacity for sexual intercourse were evaluated.

Results and limitations

The mean neovaginal depth was 11 cm (range: 10–14 cm); median follow-up was 39.7 mo (range: 19–69 mo). All patients reported satisfactory vaginal functionality. One patient noted stenosis after 4 yr that was histologically confirmed as lichen sclerosus. Neoclitoral sensation was good or excellent in 97% of patients; 33% reported regular intercourse. No major complications were observed. Because this is a retrospective review to describe a complex reconstructive surgery and illustrate these techniques in the accompanying intraoperative surgery-in-motion video, no control group was undertaken.

Conclusions

Gender reassignment can be performed with minimal complications using penile skin with incorporated penile urethra and intraoperative repositioning of the patient to achieve adequate neovaginal dimensions for intercourse and neoclitoral sensation.     

易性病阴茎再造术中尿道口吻合的改良术式介绍

目的介绍易性病患者(女转男)阴茎再造术中尿道吻合的改良术式,观察其临床效果。方法回顾性分析2016年12月至2020年12月海军军医大学第二附属医院行阴茎和尿道再造手术的易性病(女转男)病例资料。在以阴道黏膜预置的下腹部皮瓣或股前外侧皮瓣行阴茎和尿道再造的手术中,将二期法改为三期法,即二期手术时在预置尿道口的近会阴端预留2 cm宽的皮瓣桥,将预制尿道口与阴阜处预留的尿道口通过皮瓣桥缝合,即两个尿道口之间以此2 cm皮瓣隔开而不做吻合,6个月后再行三期尿道吻接手术。对患者阴茎再造术后尿道功能进行随访,主要观察是否有尿瘘、能否站立排尿,以及尿道通畅情况。结果共纳入6例易性病(女转男)患者,年龄29~40岁,手术过程顺利,其中4例采用右侧股前外侧皮瓣再造阴茎,2例采用左下腹部皮瓣。6例中有1例患者术后1周阴茎远端皮瓣有少部分坏死,游离植皮术后愈合。术后随访10~30个月,所有患者均未发生尿瘘,都能站立排尿,尿道未发生狭窄、完全通畅。结论下腹部皮瓣或股前外侧皮瓣预置尿道、阴茎再造术中,三期改良尿道吻合的技术可以降低易性病(女转男)患者术后尿瘘和尿道狭窄的发生率。     

Breast cancer in a female to male transgender patient 20 years post‐mastectomy: Issues to consider

The incidence of breast cancer reduces by almost 90% after bilateral mastectomy. This applies also to female‐to‐male (FtM) trans‐gender who undergo bilateral mastectomy as part of gender reassignment surgery (GRS). To date, there are only four reported cases in the literature on FtM transgender breast cancer. We present a case of a female‐to‐male transgender patient who was diagnosed with breast cancer 20 years after having bilateral mastectomy performed as part of GRS. We will describe all similar cases from literature and discuss some important issues related to transgender breast cancer.     

Status of sex reassignment surgery for gender identity disorder in Japan

An incongruence between one's physiological sex and the gender identity that is one's basic sense of self as a man or a woman is known as gender identity disorder. In general, the conditions of physiological men having female gender identity and physiological women having male gender identity are called male‐to‐female and female‐to‐male gender identity disorder, respectively. Although the precise pathogenesis of gender identity disorder remains unclear, the prevalence of gender identity disorder is quite high, with the rates calculated for male‐to‐female to be 1:25 000 and female‐to‐male to be 1:12 000 in Hokkaido, Japan. The diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder in Japan are based on the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Guidelines for Patients with Gender Identity Disorder, 4th edition. Although gender identity disorder was previously thought to be a psychiatric condition, it is extremely difficult to assign gender identity to physiological sex by psychiatric and psychological treatments. To adapt the figure of the body to the native gender identity, physical treatments such as administration of cross‐sex steroids and sex reassignment surgery are considered. However, there are very few institutions that routinely carry out sex reassignment surgery in Japan, even though it is mandatory for changing sex on the census register at the present time. Sex reassignment surgery for male‐to‐female and female‐to‐male patients includes orchiectomy, penectomy, clitoroplasty, vaginoplasty and vulvoplasty, and hysterectomy, ovariectomy, metoidioplasty and phalloplasty, respectively. To provide accurate information about physical treatment for patients with gender identity disorder, even urologists who are not actively involved in the diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder should understand the fundamental aspects and contemporary problems of gender identity disorder.