Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026
Quantification of Strain in a Porcine Model of Skin Expansion Using Multi-View Stereo and Isogeometric Kinematics
Published on: April 16, 2017
Utility of tissue expansion in pediatric phallic reconstruction: a 10-year experience
D H Rochlin1, K Zhang2, J P Gearhart3
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, JHOC 8, 601 North Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Objective:
Boys with complex penile anomalies often undergo multiple operations, leaving a paucity of unscarred skin for further reconstructive procedures. Our objective was to evaluate the ability of tissue expansion to provide local skin for successful phallic reconstruction.
Materials And Methods:
Eighty boys (mean age of 11.9 years) with hypospadias (n = 42) or epispadias (n = 38) formed the study cohort. All patients had undergone at least one failed reconstructive operation. Indications for tissue expansion included scarcity of penile skin with urethral stenosis, urethrocutaneous fistula, chordee, and/or residual defect. One or two expanders were placed under the skin of the penile shaft and removed at the time of reconstruction.
Results:
Average time between expander placement and reconstruction was 10.9 weeks. Mean follow-up time was 25.3 months. Complications during expansion occurred in 33 patients (41.3%). Twenty-two patients (27.5%) had at least one expander removed prematurely and 46.9% were replaced. Expansion yielded adequate tissue for reconstruction in 76 patients (95.0%). Successful outcomes were achieved in 39 patients after initial reconstruction and 25 patients after further intervention, yielding an overall success rate of 80.0%.
Conclusion:
Tissue expansion is a useful tool with an acceptable rate of complications for phallic reconstruction in patients who have failed prior surgical reconstruction.
