Isolated chemical burns to the genitalia

Perineal or genital burns are mostly part of large body surface injuries, and isolated burns to the genitalia are not common. Nevertheless, they are of major concern to the patient and clinician. Highly concentrated solutions of sulphuric acid are available to unclog drains. We have noted a substantial number of both accidental and intentional cutaneous burns caused by these agents and we therefore conducted a study on the incidence and treatment of isolated chemical burns in the genitalia. The study was performed in the Burns Unit, King Saud Hospital, Al-Qassim, Kingdom Saudi Arabia, from April 2001 to December 2004. During this period we received 12 patients with isolated chemical burns in the genitalia, representing 3.4% of all cases of burns treated between 2001 and 2004 (350 patients with different causes and variable percentages of burns). Of these 12 patients, 11 were males and one female. The patients' ages ranged from 9 to 75 yr. The mean burn size was 2% of the total body surface area. The cause of the burn injury was sulphuric acid, which is famous in this area for water closet cleaning. Eight patients (66.7%) required skin grafting, one healed with minimal scarring, and three (25%) healed with minimal contractures treated with multiple Z-plasty. We concluded that conservative management of perineal and genital chemical burns was recommended until the demarcation zone became clear. Split-thickness skin grafts were durable, safe, and technically easy, with satisfactory cosmetic and functional results.