Open Journal of Urology, 2023, 13, 433-440
https://www.scirp.org/journal/oju
ISSN Online: 2160-5629
ISSN Print: 2160-5440
DOI: 10.4236/oju.2023.1310049 Oct. 25, 2023 433 Open Journal of Urology
Complications of Circumcision:
Epidemiological, Anatomo-Clinical and
Therapeutic Aspects
Aboubacar Traore, Issa Thiam, Ousmane Sow, Modou Sene, Ndiath Abdoulaye, Sow Yaya
Urology Department, Regional Hospital of Saint-Louis, Saint-Louis, Senegal
Abstract
Circumcision refers, in its most widespread form, to the total or partial re-
moval of the foreskin, leaving the glans exposed. It is a ritual practice im-
posed by Mosaic law for Israelites, a tradition for Muslims, a rite of passage to
adulthood for many people of Africa and the East. Circumcision is also a
widely used therapeutic surgical procedure for a number of balanopreputial
affections. The aim of this study was to list cases of circumcision complications
received in a urological hospital (CHR Saint Louis) and to analyze their epi-
demiological, anatomo-clinical and therapeutic aspects. Patients and me-
thods: This was a retrospective, descriptive study of circumcision complica-
tions, carried out in the urology department of the Saint Louis regional hos-
pital in Senegal over a 5-year period (January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017).
Results: Thirty-three (33) complications of circumcision were collated. The
mean age of patients was 7.63 years [9 months - 16 years]. Duration of time
for Consultation varied according to the type of complication, with an aver-
age of 1.6 years [1 day - 10 years]. Penile granuloma accounted for 36.3% of
the complications (n = 12), local infection for 30.3% (n = 10) and ureth-
ro-cutaneous fistula for 18.2% (n = 6). For six patients with urethro-cutaneous
fistula, we performed urethro-cutaneous splitting in 5 patients, while the same
complication necessitated urethroplasty in another patient. We noted five
cases of verge plasty for verge granuloma, one glan reimplantation and one
glan plasty for the two patients with glans amputation. Conclusion: Circum-
cision is a medical procedure widely practised throughout the world for med-
ical, cultural and aesthetic reasons. In Africa, the lack of health coverage and
the shortage of doctors explain why this surgical procedure is so common. In
Senegal, circumcision is still carried out in the majority of cases by paramed-
ical staff, which explains the high rate of complications.
How to cite this paper: Traore, A., Thiam,
I., Sow, O., Sene, M., Abdoulaye, N. and
Yaya, S. (2023) Complications of Circumci-
sion: Epidemiological, Anatomo-Clinical and
Therapeutic Aspects. Open Journal of Urol-
ogy, 13, 433-440.
https://doi.org/10.4236/oju.2023.1310049
Received: September 4, 2023
Accepted: October 22, 2023
Published: October 25, 2023
Copyright © 2023 by author(s) and
Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution International
License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Open Access