La Vega slit procedure for the treatment of phimosis

Objectives. The surgical treatment of phimosis is usually circumcision. In countries in which circumcision is not widely practiced, this approach resu lts in a phallus that is cosmetically unacceptable. We applied a ventral sl it procedure to boys with severe phimosis and achieved outstanding results. Methods. All patients were selected during a 1-week medical mission to La V ega in the Dominican Republic during April 1997. Eight patients presented w ith severe phimosis. The patient age ranged from 3 to 7 years (mean 4.4). A ll patients were cleared by the team pediatrician before undergoing the pro cedure. Results. Eight patients underwent the procedure without complications. The operative time was less than 10 minutes in all instances. All had excellent postoperative cosmesis, were able to retract their foreskins, and voided w ithout difficulty. A follow-up mission to La Vega in March 1998 yielded no complications involving this group of patients. Conclusions. Unlike circumcision and the dorsal slit procedure, this approa ch yields a phallus that on initial appearance is indistinguishable from an uncircumcised phallus. The procedure is easily performed and should be con sidered in the treatment of phimosis whenever foreskin preservation is desi red. (C) 2000, Elsevier Science Inc.