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Published on: June 16, 2022
An Alternative Option for Gender-Affirming Revision Vaginoplasty: The Tubularized Urachus-Peritoneal Hinge Flap
Shannon M Smith1, Nance Yuan2, Jenna Stelmar3
1Cedars-Sinai Transgender Surgery and Health Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Division of Urology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Introduction:
Gender-affirming peritoneal vaginoplasty has been described, and previous descriptions are modifications of the Davydov technique.
Aim:
To describe our alternative technique for gender-affirming peritoneal vaginoplasty (PV) using a single-pedicled, urachus-peritoneal hinge flap, discussing proposed advantages.
Methods:
Retrospective review of all consecutive transfeminine patients with neovaginal shortening after prior penile inversion vaginoplasty (PIV) who underwent our PV technique from May 2019 to July 2022. PV was performed via combined transperineal and laparoscopic (robot-assisted) approaches. After spatulation of the neovaginal remnant, a midline, inferiorly based urachus-peritoneal hinge flap was elevated craniocaudally from the umbilicus to the mid-posterior bladder. The free end of the flap was flipped posteriorly and sutured to posterior edge of the open canal remnant, forming a peritoneal pouch. The lateral edges of the pouch were sutured together for water-tight closure. Patients resumed dilation on POD 6 and douching on POD 10.
Main Outcome Measures:
Ten transfeminine patients underwent PV, with good outcomes. We measured: Pre-op penile and scrotal skin lengths, intra-op tubularized scrotal skin length, pre and post-op vaginal depth and width (immediate and at last follow-up).
Results:
Pre-op: mean neovaginal depth was 9.2cm (SD 1.5); width was 12cm. Immediate post-op: mean depth was 15.1 cm (SD 2.2 cm, mean net increase: 5.9 cm). At mean follow-up of 18.3 months, mean depth was 12.5 cm (SD 2.1 cm, mean net increase: 3.3 cm) and width was 12 cm. There were no immediate post-op complications. Eight (80%) of the 10 patients report satisfactory vaginal receptive intercourse. The other 2 have not yet attempted vaginal receptive intercourse.
Clinical Implications:
Advantages of the proposed technique over existing techniques include no tension on peritoneal suture lines and total exclusion of the rectum.
Strengths And Limitations:
Strengths include a short learning curve for urologic surgeons with robotic experience. The study is limited by small sample size.
Conclusions:
Our PV technique is a safe and effective option for salvage peritoneal vaginoplasty after primary PIV. Smith SM, Yuan N, Stelmar J, et al. An Alternative Option for Gender-Affirming Revision Vaginoplasty: The Tubularized Urachus-Peritoneal Hinge Flap. Sex Med 2022;10:100572.
