Hypospadias is a congenital anomaly of the penis. It is a compound anomaly with its main feature – the opening of the urethra on the lower (ventral) side of the penis. According to the location of the external opening (meatus, orifice) of the urethra, various variants of hypospadias are defined.
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Glandular hypospadias
The external orifice lies within the glans (picture) -
Coronal hypospadias
The external orifice just below the glans (picture) -
Penile hypospadias
The external orifice may be located at any point along the length of the penis (picture) -
Scrotal hypospadias
The external orifice on the scrotum (picture) -
Perineal hypospadias
The external opening on the perineum (picture)
Incidence:
One in every 250 male newborns. There is a slight tendency for increase in recent years
Accompanying anomalies of the penis:
- Curvature (bending, chordee) of the penis is a common feature
(picture) . - Narrowing of the external meatus (meatal stenosis) (picture) .
- The dorsal hooded prepuce (foreskin) present in practically all patients with hypospadias
(picture) . - Underdevelopment of the distal urethra: normally the thinnest wall of the urethra is covered with corpus spongiosum – sponge-like tissue which in hypospadias divides into 2 branches leaving the urethra thin
(picture) .
