Circumcision for phimosis--indications and results

A follow-up study including all boys (n = 117) operated with circumcision for phimosis during 1976 was performed. Most patients were operated on an outpatient basis. Early complications like bleeding or infection were few and mild. In 13 cases there was a postoperative stricture of the urethral orifice which had to be widened. Five patients had complaints about the cosmetic result. Eight boys expressed shyness and unwillingness to undress in school gym. In no instance were there any signs of a more serious psychological disorder. The operative indications are discussed and it is concluded that worried parents of boys with phimosis can be safely advised to have their boys circumcised if the prepuce is scarred or there has been recurrent balanitis, or if the boy has reached school age and the foreskin is still unretractable.