Penile anthropometry of healthy boys in Qatar

Penile anthropometry is essential for diagnosing genital anomalies. However, as these biometric values vary ethnically, population-specific standards are necessary.

To establish the first penile anthropometric nomograms for boys in Qatar.

This prospective cross-sectional study included 210 healthy boys in Qatar (aged 6 months to 12 years) undergoing elective circumcision at Hamad Medical Corporation (October 2023-October 2024). We recorded demographic data and measured stretched penile length (SPL), glans diameter at the coronal sulcus (GDCL), and mid-penile diameter (MPD). Age-specific nomograms were generated, and associations between SPL, age, and BMI were analyzed using SPSS v27.

Mean SPL, GDCL, and MPD for infants (6-12 months) were 3.75 ± 0.4 cm, 1.36 ± 0.1 cm, and 1.28 ± 0.1 cm, respectively. For boys (1-12 years), values were 5.53 ± 0.9 cm, 1.71 ± 0.2 cm, and 1.61 ± 0.21 cm. SPL showed a biphasic growth pattern: a gradual increase from 3.75 ± 0.4 cm (6 months-5 years) to 4.90 ± 0.9 cm (6-10 years), followed by rapid growth to 7.72 ± 1.3 cm at 11-12 years. SPL correlated with height age but not with body mass index.

This study provides the first population-specific nomograms for penile anthropometry of healthy boys in Qatar. The observed biphasic growth pattern is consistent with global trends but shows distinct ethnic variations. Limitations include the lack of data for infants under six months. Compared internationally, our results align with Middle Eastern cohorts but differ from Asian and South American populations, underscoring the need for local reference standards. These findings have direct clinical applicability, providing essential reference data to prevent misdiagnosis of conditions like micropenis.

We successfully established an age-specific nomogram for penile biometrics of boys in Qatar. These normative data provide region-specific reference values to support the clinical assessment of disorders of sexual development and to optimize surgical decision-making in hypospadias repair.