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Book

Phimosis

Arthur S. McPhee, Gavin Stormont  1 , Alastair C. McKay
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
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Book

Phimosis

Arthur S. McPhee et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Phimosis is a term used to describe the difficulty in retracting the prepuce. The term is Greek in origin, with the literal translation of “muzzling.” However, its use interchangeably in several conditions can often lead to the notion of a pathological process where none exists. Often non-retractile foreskin is the presenting complaint of a patient, or their parent/guardian, as such it is best to establish whether the process is physiological or pathological.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Arthur McPhee declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Gavin Stormont declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Alastair McKay declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

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    1. Oster J. Further fate of the foreskin. Incidence of preputial adhesions, phimosis, and smegma among Danish schoolboys. Arch Dis Child. 1968 Apr;43(228):200-3. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Celis S, Reed F, Murphy F, Adams S, Gillick J, Abdelhafeez AH, Lopez PJ. Balanitis xerotica obliterans in children and adolescents: a literature review and clinical series. J Pediatr Urol. 2014 Feb;10(1):34-9. - PubMed
    1. Das S, Tunuguntla HS. Balanitis xerotica obliterans--a review. World J Urol. 2000 Dec;18(6):382-7. - PubMed
    1. Babu R, Harrison SK, Hutton KA. Ballooning of the foreskin and physiological phimosis: is there any objective evidence of obstructed voiding? BJU Int. 2004 Aug;94(3):384-7. - PubMed

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