Long-term psychological and sexual outcomes of severe penile hypospadias repair

Abstract

Introduction: Hypospadias is the most common penis malformation, and there exist a variety of surgical approaches used to correct the abnormal position of the meatus. Although the long-term outcomes of surgery are considered important for psychosexual development, only a few attempts have been made to evaluate patient satisfaction.

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate surgical results and psychosocial adaptations in a homogeneous group of subjects with severe penile hypospadias who underwent the same types of surgical repairs during childhood and compare the results to data obtained from age-matched healthy controls.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 104 men (between 24 and 42 years old) who underwent an uncomplicated two-stage hypospadias repair in their childhood and 63 age-matched healthy men without genital malformations completed the questionnaire.

Main outcome measures: Difference in self-perception assessed by a 15-item questionnaire regarding psychosexual well-being and penile appearance between subjects with corrected hypospadias and healthy participants.

Results: On average, subjects with a hypospadias repair were less satisfied with their genital appearance; however, they were more satisfied with their sex lives compared to healthy controls. The meatus distance was approximately 1.5 cm from the tip of the penis after surgical correction. None of the postoperative surgical results correlated with patient satisfaction. Furthermore, the small percentage of patients (11%) who were very unsatisfied with their surgical outcomes had no significant differences in surgical outcomes compared to satisfied patients. However, there was a significant difference between the two groups in almost all psychological outcome measures.

Conclusions: In adults who underwent an uncomplicated ventral repair of a severe penile hypospadias 20-30 years earlier, healthy psychosexual development was achieved despite the lack of a glanular meatus. Early identification of unsatisfied patients is important for appropriate long-term follow-up and counseling.