Rarely seen complications of circumcision, and their management

Circumcision, performed for religious or medical reasons is the procedure of surgical excision of the skin covering the glans penis, preputium in a certain shape and dimension so as to expose the tip of the glans penis. Short- and long- term complication rates of up to 50% have been reported, varying due to the recording system of different countries in which the procedure has been accepted as a widely performed simple surgical procedure. In this study, treatment procedures in patients presented to our clinic with complications after circumcision are described and methods to decrease the rate of the complications are reviewed.

Cases that presented to our clinic between 2010 and 2013 with early complications of circumcision were retrospectively reviewed. Cases with acceptedly major complications as excess skin excision, skin necrosis and total amputation of the glans were included in the study, while cases with minor complications such as bleeding, hematoma and infection were excluded from the study.

Repair with full- thickness skin grafts was performed in patients with excess skin excision. In cases with skin necrosis, following the debridement of the necrotic skin, primary repair or repair with full- thickness graft was performed in cases where full- thickness skin defects developed and other cases with partial skin loss were left to secondary healing. Repair with an inguinal flap was performed in the case with glans amputation.

Circumcisions performed by untrained individuals are to be blamed for the complications of circumcision reported in this country. The rate of complications increases during the "circumcision feasts" where multiple circumcisions were performed. This also predisposes to transmission of various diseases, primarily hepatitis B/C and AIDS. Circumcision is a surgical procedure that should be performed by specialists under appropriate sterile circumstances in which the rate of complications would be decreased. The child may be exposed to recurrent psychosocial and surgical trauma when it is performed by incompetent individuals.