Genital reconstruction for the transgendered individual

Area of Science:

• Medical Science
• Surgical Techniques
• Gender Affirming Care

Background:

• Gender dysphoria involves incongruence between assigned sex and gender identity, often necessitating medical and surgical interventions.
• Surgical treatments aim to align a patient's physical characteristics with their affirmed gender identity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and describe contemporary surgical techniques for genital reconstruction in female-to-male (FTM) and male-to-female (MTF) transgender patients.
• To provide an overview of established and emerging procedures in transgender genital surgery.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of recently published scientific literature.
• Focus on common and effective surgical procedures for FTM and MTF genital reconstruction.

Main Results:

• FTM genital reconstruction commonly involves chest masculinization with metoidioplasty or phalloplasty, yielding high patient satisfaction.
• MTF vaginoplasty, particularly using the penile inversion technique, is considered a gold standard, offering good functional and aesthetic results.
• Alternative techniques for MTF vaginoplasty include skin grafts and bowel vaginoplasty for complex cases or revisions.

Conclusions:

• Effective treatment for transgender individuals requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists.
• Successful surgical outcomes depend on surgeons' expertise and alignment with patients' desired physical outcomes.